REUTERS
The Ministry of Finance predicts the budget deficit in 2016 at 3.7% of GDP and the hryvnia exchange rate at the level of UAH 22.4 to the dollar, Ukrainian Finance Minister Natalie Jaresko told journalists before the meeting of the government on Tuesday.
"The budget deficit in 2016 is at 3.7% of GDP and the hryvnia exchange rate at the level of UAH 22.4 to the dollar," she said.
According to Jaresko, the budget deficit, as well as the hryvnia exchange rate are agreed with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and will be the basis of macro-financial stability and economic growth next year.
As UNIAN reported earlier, the IMF program in Ukraine envisages a reduction in the state budget deficit, including that of NJSC Naftogaz Ukrainy, up to 2.2% of GDP by 2020.
At the end of 2015, the deficit is projected to reach 4.2% of GDP, at the end of 2016 - 3.7% of GDP, at the end of 2017 - 2.1% of GDP, in 2018 - 2.6%, in 2019 - 2.4 %.
Taking into account the deficit of Naftogaz Ukrainy, the budget deficit figure for these dates is expected to reach 7.4%, 3.9%, 3.1%, 2.6%, 2.4%.
Until the end of 2015, the IMF forecasts the devaluation of the hryvnia to UAH 23.5 per dollar, while the forecast rate is set at UAH 22 per dollar.
At the same time, the forecast rate for 2016 is set at UAH 22.7 per dollar, and then the rate will gradually increase by an average of UAH 0.5 per year to UAH 25.5 per dollar at the end of 2020.