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On the budget gap, economic mobilization and tax increases

The thirteenth issue is about the financial situation in Ukraine. What is wrong with economic mobilization? Are there alternatives to tax increases? How can we close the UAH 500 billion budget gap by the end of this year? Why are stadiums being built in time of war?

Effective decision-making is impossible without quality data

Effective decision-making is impossible without quality data Without quality data, it is impossible to make effective government decisions. This was stated by Viktor Maziarchuk, Head of the Center for Fiscal Policy Research, in his speech at the Resilience Conference organized by the International Renaissance Foundation. According to Maziarchuk, since February 24, 2022, Ukraine has received more than $100 billion from international partners. Of this amount, about 60 billion hryvnias were used for the recovery in 2022-2023. “As for local budgets, it is difficult to say how much has actually been spent, but the verified data from our Cost of War project shows that projects worth approximately UAH 200 million have been funded for reconstruction in Kyiv region during this period. We are now continuing to work on verifying the expenditures of individual territorial communities in the region,” Maziarchuk said. One of the key problems is the lack of accurate data on recovery costs at both the central and local levels. The expert emphasized that the state does not have complete information on the facilities being restored: “I can say with 100% certainty that the state does not know how much it has spent on reconstruction.” To solve this problem, the Center for Fiscal Policy Research is conducting verification of expenditures in 70 communities of Kyiv region. “We are actually conducting a financial audit, collecting information and checking each payment,” emphasized Maziarchuk. One of the important aspects is cooperation with the Kyiv Regional Military Administration, which helps with obtaining data from communities. Summarizing his speech, Maziarchuk emphasized the importance of systematic work with data for making effective government decisions. “Without the basis of quality data, we will not have effective decisions. This is the main challenge for the future,” he summarized.

On “indestructible hubs,” library reform, and Lenin

Share On “indestructible hubs,” library reform, and Lenin The twelfth issue is about life in frontline Zaporizhzhia. How does the city, located 35 kilometers from the frontline, function? Why was free public transportation canceled in the third year of the war? Why are libraries and cultural centers in Zaporizhzhia now very popular? And what is planned to be done with the largest sculpture of Lenin in Ukraine? In the new episode of the podcast “Budget Talks” you will find answers to these and other topical questions. Victor Maziarchuk, Head of the Center for Fiscal Policy Research, Roman Slobodyan, public finance expert, and Regina Kharchenko, acting mayor of Zaporizhzhia, discuss the challenges and problems faced by Zaporizhzhia since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjQJP6XI5Ho Listen to Budget Talk podcasts on a convenient platform: YouTube Music Spotify НВ подкасти ROMANEGood afternoon, friends! We are glad to welcome you to our podcast “Budget Talks”, which is produced with the support of the International Renaissance Foundation. And today we will talk about local governments, namely Zaporizhzhia. And I would like to introduce my colleague, the head of the Center for Fiscal Policy Research, Viktor Maziarchuk. VIKTORHello, Roman. Good afternoon, Regina. REGINAGood afternoon. ROMANAnd today we have with us the acting mayor of Zaporizhzhia, the secretary of the Zaporizhzhia City Council, Ms. Regina Kharchenko. REGINAThat’s right, that’s me. How Zaporizhzhia residents have adapted to constant anxiety ROMANOur topic is “Budget Talks,” but I would like to start not with an economic or financial issue, but one that probably concerns the majority of Ukrainians. Zaporizhzhia is located very close to the front line, with rockets reaching it in 30-40 seconds. How have you adapted? And one more thing. You have been in office for 100 days. What are the most critical problems you have faced and what decisions have been made during this time? REGINAAlarms in Zaporizhzhia can sound for 8-10 hours a day. 8-10 hours out of my life. ROMANIs it a series of alarms? REGINAWith breaks, give or take. Anxiety can last 3.5 hours. And then it was really necessary to make a decision for any person, any family that stayed in Zaporizhzhia, how to live. Either to live in a shelter all the time, not to go to work, not to go about their business, not to see the “white world,” or to adapt. There are a lot of channels: “Radar Ukraine and others, so that we can understand whether this danger is really justified. Few people go down to the shelters. In most cases, this desire arises when it has already arrived. People say: “Oh, I have to go down”. The only thing that worries me is that in most cases when there was massive shelling in Zaporizhzhia, it always happened at night. And they do it on purpose. At night or before morning – three or four o’clock. And this is a challenge. Sometimes, especially in early October 2022, there was a terrible period when a residential building was hit today, tomorrow, the day after tomorrow… And you go to bed and do not know whether you will wake up, whether you will be alive. Now we thank God, we thank the Armed Forces of Ukraine, that there are no such massive attacks, although the last one was not so long ago – from May 31 to June 1, the Dnipro hydroelectric power plant was hit, and the hit was very serious, critical. Part of the roadway was destroyed. Not to mention the fact that there had been hits to the engine room and buoys before that. “Ukrenergo said that it would take three years of constant construction and reconstruction to restore the Dnipro hydroelectric power plant. To restore the capacity that was there before the massive arrivals. And even before the war, there were many reasons to say that it was necessary to block the Dnipro River for repairs. The issue of connecting the two banks is very important for Zaporizhzhia. Our entire city is actually crossed by the Dnipro River. The island of Khortytsia. And this connection is extremely important. That’s why people live in such conditions. Man is such a creature – he has to adapt, he has to live. I am very grateful to the people who are there. And now there are about 700,000 people in Zaporizhzhia, including about 134,000 internally displaced persons. ROMANAre they from the Zaporizhzhia region? REGINAMost of them are from the Zaporizhzhia region, although more than 300,000 internally displaced people have passed through Zaporizhzhia since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. About how the city became a hub for internally displaced persons VIKTORZaporizhzhia was a very big hub where everyone came to. REGINAYes, it was a huge hub that welcomed people. People worked 24/7. Such points were organized at large shopping facilities at the entrance to the city. This story needs a separate program. I do not want to waste time. But we did go through some scary moments, which, perhaps for the better, united the team. It was a huge challenge for me when the deputies made the decision and gave me this responsibility to be a representative of the community. I probably couldn’t sleep at all for the first three days. During every alarm, every worry, I told myself: what to do, what are we going to do, what if? And then, when we had the first such moments (again, at night), I realized how the team works, what our emergency response headquarters is, how the State Emergency Service is involved, how the heads of district administrations are involved, how utilities work, how everything happens. After that, I exhaled a little bit, because I realized that this story about helping after an emergency, no matter how terrible it is, is always a team effort. And I am very grateful to all my colleagues, maybe they will watch this “Budget Talk” with us, to every employee of Zaporizhzhia City Council, departments, district administrations, who are so trained, so

How effective is the Accounting Chamber?

Proper planning of audits, identification and assessment of risks, and monitoring of recommendations can significantly improve the work of the Accounting Chamber and increase public confidence in its activities.