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Revenue of local budgets in Ukraine grew by 44% in 2016 from 2015, to UAH 144 billion, or nearly US$5.33 billion, due to decentralization reform, according to the press service of the Ukrainian Ministry for Regional Development, Construction and Housing.
"The local budgets' revenue in 2015 amounted to UAH 99.8 billion. In 2016, this figure reached UAH 144 billion, which was 16% up on the local authorities' plans. The local budgets also received extra UAH 49 billion. So, the results stem directly from the decentralization reform, which began in 2014, and these figures will be on the rise," the press service quoted Minister for Regional Development, Construction and Housing Hennadiy Zubko as saying.
The minister also emphasized that disbursements from the 2017 national budget to the local budgets for education and medicine had been increased.
Read alsoGroysman boasts budget execution with 3.1% GDP deficit"As of January 1, 2017, the balance of the local budget accounts was UAH 52 billion, compared with UAH 35 billion in 2016. Disbursements from the 2017 state budget [to the local budget] for education grew by UAH 8.1 billion (from UAH 44.5 billion in 2016 to UAH 52.6 billion in 2017), while allocations for medicine increased by UAH 11 billion (from UAH 44.4 billion in 2016 to UAH 55.5 billion in 2017). Moreover, the state budget provides for additional grant aid worth UAH 14.9 billion to local budgets for health and education. These are the amounts that allow us to speak confidently about regional development," Zubko said.
As UNIAN reported earlier, the budget revenue of 159 integrated local communities more than tripled in 2016 from 2015, to UAH 3.3 billion.