Draft law on 2018 state budget passes first reading

The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine approved in first reading the draft law on the state budget for 2018.

A total of 260 MPs voted in favour of the bill on November 14, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"This is the budget for economic development, it fully envisages the interests of decentralization. We believe that economic development is number one priority," Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman said and thanked MPs for their support.

As Ukrinform earlier reported, the Cabinet of Ministers on September 15 approved the draft state budget for 2018 and registered the document in the Verkhovna Rada. The bill envisages that revenues of the general fund of the consolidated budget for the first time will exceed UAH 1.3 trillion with GDP growth projected at 3% and inflation at 7%. The deficit of the draft state budget for 2018 is set at 2.4%.

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