Potential presidential candidate and banker Serhiy Tihipko has said that Ukraine now has expenses that it can't afford in the current situation.
“Revenues from all of the main taxes and customs duties have fallen while the main expenses remain at the level of previous, successful years. A considerably improved crisis budget should have been adopted for this year,” Tihipko’s press office reported.
Commenting on a report from the presidential secretariat on a plan to decrease revenues to the budget for 2009 by UAH 17 billion, Tihipko stated: “The authorities intentionally led the country to a state of bankruptcy that can [survive] only on debt.”
He also said that next year only emissions would remain out of the two main sources of covering the budget deficit – emissions and external credit.
“Ukraine is supported [only] by the International Monetary Fund. It’s not known how long the IMF is ready to sustain such a position. In any case, the budget for 2010 should be based on our realistic abilities. Otherwise, we will be forced to print so many hryvnias that the hyperinflation of the 90ies will become a reality,” Tihipko said.
