Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has signed the law on state budget for 2017.
Poroshenko also signed laws on increasing the wages to employees of state coal enterprises, on amending certain legislative acts of Ukraine concerning the increase of minimum wages to Hr 3,200, and a law on amendments to the Budget Code, the Ukrainian president’s press service reported.
The Ukrainian president stressed that the government of Ukraine this year timely submitted draft state budget to the Verkhovna Rada.
Poroshenko said that the budget was discussed in detail in a timely manner and at a meeting of the National Security Council in terms of spending on national defense and security sector. He also emphasized that these expenditures amount to 5.2 percent of GDP, and noted that these funds will go first of all for the financing of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
“For the first time the new models of weapons that have been developed over the past two and a half years, will move from the testing process to the army arsenal, which will greatly enhance the combat capability of our armed forces,” the president said. However, he stressed that other law enforcement agencies will also be provided with sufficient funding.
Poroshenko also noted that the government, the president, the prime minister and the parliament, together made revolutionary unprecedented steps to strengthen the protection of working people – raised the minimum wages to Hr 3,200.
In addition, he stressed the importance of raising salaries of teachers and doctors.
The president said that the 2017 state budget envisages unprecedented spending on road construction.
Poroshenko also stressed that the decentralization reform has been leading to a substantial increase in local budgets for the third consecutive year. The president said that budgets of local communities increased by 5-6 times.
The president expressed the hope that after a thorough analysis of the legislative amendments by investors and international experts, Ukraine will continue improving its position in the Doing Business ranking.
As reported, Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada passed the national budget for 2017 on Dec. 21, 2016. Some 274 MPs voted for the document. Commenting on the adoption of the document, Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman said that his government had closely been cooperating with the parliament to prepare the national budget.
