239 MPs voted for the bill which drew a record number of 5,236 amendments
On October 28, the Verkhovna Rada supported in the first reading the draft law on the state budget of Ukraine for 2027. The decision was supported by 239 members of parliament. This was reported by RBC-Ukraine (Марія Кучерявець), according to the portal PromPolitInform.
More than 5,200 amendments were submitted by MPs during the preparation of the document, marking an all-time record for the past 24 years. Of these, the budget committee approved only 90 proposals.
Accepted changes include increased pay for military personnel and expanded state guarantees for defence sector enterprises. Specifically, amendment No. 1279 on raising military salaries received 304 votes in favour.
Parliamentarians also supported amendment No. 846, which prohibits funding the “National Cashback” programme from the 2027 state budget.
Rejected Proposals and Second Reading Schedule
At the same time, several initiatives failed to secure enough support. In particular, MPs rejected directing funds from plea bargain agreements directly to armed forces pay via a special state budget fund.
Additionally, a proposal to cap monthly salaries for civil servants, MPs, judges, prosecutors, and National Bank staff at 80,000 hryvnias was turned down.
The government must now process the parliamentary conclusions and submit a revised text. The second reading and final vote on the state budget are expected on November 23–26.
Key Macroeconomic Indicators and Deficit
State budget expenditures for 2027 are planned at 7.272 trillion hryvnias, while revenues are set at 5.648 trillion hryvnias. Allocation for the security and defence sector is budgeted at 4.885 trillion hryvnias, accounting for 43.8% of the nation’s GDP.
The budget deficit ceiling is projected at 1.67 trillion hryvnias. Ukraine’s external financing requirement stands at $52.6 billion, of which over $20 billion is already confirmed, while $32.6 billion remains uncovered.
According to estimates by the European Commission and the President of Ukraine, the total financing gap is estimated at €70 billion, with aggregate defence and budgetary needs reaching up to €115 billion.
Social Standards and Exchange Rate Forecasts
The draft budget establishes the monthly subsistence minimum at 3,559 hryvnias. The minimum wage is set at 9,546 hryvnias per month and 57.5 hryvnias per hour.
The average nominal monthly salary in the economy is forecasted at 34,409 hryvnias, with unemployment projected at 12.4%.
The average annual exchange rate for the US dollar is budgeted at 47.1 hryvnias, with the end-of-year rate expected at 48.3 hryvnias per dollar.
Illustrative photo: Wadco2 / CC BY-SA 3.0
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