“The International Monetary Fund finished its mission in Ukraine a week ago, but the issue of the allocation of the next tranche is not in the plans of the Board of Governors for November. Many see a serious danger for the economy in this and intimidate with catastrophic consequences. I disagree with this position: a long-term ‘paycheque to paycheque’ life carries more threats,” Ukrainian MP Oleksandr Feldman declared on his Facebook page.
According to his words, every year, more and more budgetary funds are spent on the country’s external debt service: in 2016, the expenditures made up nearly UAH 50 billion. The external debt of Ukraine is currently almost USD 115 billion. “At the same time, the current level of corruption gives no confidence that the next tranche will be ‘drawn’. As for the citizens, they will pay for this with the increase of the pension age, with the moratorium on the increase of salaries, with the new utility tariffs,” the politician emphasized.
“The IMF’s experts expressed concern with the “unbalance” of the state budget and consider that the living wage at the rate of UAH 3,200 is overstated. Curiously enough, the unbalance of family budget of Ukrainians, who spend everything they earn on tariffs, medicines and, if they are lucky enough, on food, does not worry the IMF. It was the requirements of the Fund that the Ukrainian authorities tried to use as an explanation of their antisocial, unpopular measures. It is good that it will be impossible to use this excuse any more. I doubt that Ukrainians felt some positive consequences after the previous tranches, so let the IMF’s refusal frightens only those who count the lost profits of the politicians, not the citizens,” Oleksandr Feldman noted.
