VERKHOVNA RADA OF UKRAINE CONTINUED ITS WORK IN A PLENARY MODE ON WEDNESDAY, JUNE 4, 2014.
Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Koshulynskyi opened the morning meeting. He informed that Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Oleksandr Turchynov today is in the eastern regions of the country.
The Chairman also informed about awarding people’s deputy M.Dzhemilev with a “Solidarity” prize from the Ministry of External Affairs of Poland.
MPs made their speeches, announcements, claims and suggestions.
The main topic of the speeches was the situation in the east and the anti-terrorist operation, its legal regime, and results of local elections, activity of election commissions during the recent elections, etc. People’s deputies also suggested several bills.
After the speeches, MPs started considering the agenda issues.
Minister of Finance Oleksandr Shlapak informed about the report on executing the Law “On the State Budget of Ukraine for 2013”. He claimed “the budget for 2013 is an apotheosis of policy of economic irresponsibility and social populism which has been carried out by the government for the last years”.
O. Shlapak stated that “the budget for 2013, as budgets of the previous years, was built upon a deliberately inflated macroeconomic forecast”. Thus, the following policy documents were not executed: the National action plan for 2013, the State activation programme for the economic development.
System reforms have not been conducted in any of the spheres. Following the results of such work, according to the corruption rating, Ukraine is rated on 144th place out of 177. Index of investment attractiveness has fallen to a critical point – 1,8 on a five-point scale, which is the worst for the last four years. For three years Ukrainian economy was in its worst phase – the phase of economic stagnation”, he explained.
The Minister of Finance reported that last year “the state budget received UAH 339 billion which is by UAH 7 billion less than in 2012”.
O. Shlapak claimed that regardless of decrease in budget revenues, stagnation of the economy, decrease of export of goods and services, refund of value added tax has been increased by 16% which, in his opinion, shows the use of illegal schemes.
The Minister of Finance stressed that under conditions of transferring considerable amounts of the National Bank to the budget and to current account positions, the negative balance is USD 16,4 billion.
According to the speaker, as of the end of 2013 the national debt was UAH 480 billion. For the last four years, it increased more than by half.
Summing up, O. Shlapak stressed that “budget for 2013, as the previous ones, should be introduced to economic textbooks as an example of how not to develop economy and finance of the country”.
Chair of the subcommittee of the Committee on Budget Konstiantyn Pavlov and Chair of the Accounting Chamber Roman Mahuta were co-speakers.
Chair of the subcommittee of the Committee on Budget Konstiantyn Pavlov claimed that following the consideration of the governmental report on executing of the Law “On the State Budget of Ukraine for 2013”, the Committee paid attention to the following: state of executing the law has negatively influenced the unrealistic macroeconomic forecast.
In his words, for the last year numerous amendments were made to the state budget which considerably changed its planned targets. However, certain changes did not take into account the current state of economy development and budget execution. “Under such conditions, almost UAH 13 billion revenues of general funds of state budget were not received”.
The Committee on Budget stresses the necessity of intensifying measures on reduction of the tax debt and preventing new tax payable.
K.Pavlov informed that in the process of elaborating the governmental report with consideration of the Accounting Chamber conclusions, the Committee on Budget prepared a new draft resolution on the report of executing the State Budget for 2013. Compared with the governmental, this draft resolution stipulates not only take into account the report of the Cabinet of Ministers, but also instruct the government to regulate current problems and improve management of budget funds.
Chair of
the Accounting Chamber Roman Mahuta claimed that state budget execution, first
of all, depends on quality of macroeconomic forecast.
R.Mahuta noted that the 2013 State Budget deficit amounts to UAH 65 billion, or 4,4 per cent of GDP. The deficit was financed at the cost of state loans in the amount of UAH 161 billion, which is 47 per cent more than the previous year.
Head of the Accounting Chamber made proposals pertaining to refinement of the system of guaranteed state debt management and regarding reduction of debt risks.
The speaker and co-speakers responded to the questions of the people’s deputies.
The Verkhovna Rada took into consideration the report on fulfillment of the Law “On the State Budget of Ukraine for 2013”.
The people’s deputies upheld the draft resolution on the report on the Law “On the State Budget of Ukraine for 2013” (Reg. No. 4625-д).
In the course of taking decisions on the issues discussed, the people’s deputies did not uphold in the first reading the bill on amendments to several legislative acts of Ukraine (re prohibition to participate in political activity on the territory of Ukraine for foreigners and stateless persons), registered under No. 4621 (170 votes in favor).
The people’s deputies did not place on the agenda the draft resolution on the Address of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine to the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine re denunciation of the Agreement between the Government of Ukraine and the Government of the Russian Federation on visa-free travel of the citizens of Ukraine and the Russian Federation (Reg. No. 4962).
The draft law on amendments to the Law “On Association of Co-Owners of Multi-Storey Building” (re preventing
violation of rights of owners of apartments
and non-residential premises), registered under No. 2469a, was reported by the
people’s deputy Serhii Kaltsev. He noted that the bill was elaborated in
response to numerous conflicts connected with abuses on the part of officials
of Association of Co-Owners of Multi-Storey Building (OSBB).
S.Kaltsev suggested amend the Law “On Association of Co-Owners of Multi-Storey Building”.
Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Construction, Urban Development, Housing and Communal Services and Regional Policy Volodymyr Saldo reported the decision of the Committee to recommend the Verkhovna Rada adopt the bill as a basis.
The people’s deputies have discussed the bill in details, made their remarks and suggestions and upheld its adoption. However, in view of insufficient number of votes in the session hall, it was suggested to adopt it during the next plenary session.
The Chairman informed that the decision on the bill will be taken during the next plenary meeting.
The draft law on amendments to the Civil Procedure Code of Ukraine and the Code of Administrative Proceedings of Ukraine (re securing appellate and cassational appeal of court acts), registered under No. 3263, was reported by the people’s deputy Oleksandr Dolzhenkov.
Chairman of the subcommittee of the Committee on the Rule of Law and Justice Leonid Yemets reported the decision of the Committee to recommend the Verkhovna Rada adopt the bill as a basis.
The people’s deputies discussed the bill, made several remarks and generally stood for its adoption in the first reading.
The decision on the bill will be taken during the next plenary meeting.
Parliamentarians also considered the draft law on amendments to article 30 of the Law “On Local Self-Government in Ukraine” re accounting and technical inventory (Reg. No. 2371).
The people’s deputies upheld the bill and noted that its adoption will allow territorial communities and bodies of their self-government implement their authorities more efficiently.
The people’s deputies will take the decision on the bill during the next meeting.
The Chairman adjourned morning plenary session.
Next plenary session of the Verkhovna Rada will be held on Thursday, June 5.