On November 9, the Verkhovna Rada’s Rules Committee considered three draft resolutions in which members of parliament proposed cancelling the results of the vote on the budget conclusions for the draft State Budget of Ukraine for 2027. The committee decided to return all three initiatives to their authors without including them on the session agenda or considering them in the parliamentary chamber.
UNN explains the possible consequences of the decision to its readers.
Three resolutions concerning one vote: what is known about them
The agenda of the meeting of the Committee on Rules, Parliamentary Ethics and Organization of the Work of the Verkhovna Rada included three documents. The first, numbered No. 16000/P-P, was submitted by Iryna Herashchenko. The second — No. 16000/P-P1 — was registered by Artur Herasymov. And the third — No. 16000/P-P2 — was submitted by Sofiia Fedyna. All the documents were registered on October 30, two days after the final vote on the budget conclusions.
The subject of all three initiatives is identical: cancellation of the Verkhovna Rada’s decision of October 28 to adopt in full Resolution No. 16000/P "On Conclusions and Proposals for the Draft Law of Ukraine on the State Budget of Ukraine for 2027." This document sets out the parliament’s recommendations for the second reading of the budget.
The cards for all three draft resolutions on the parliament’s website already contain the conclusions of the main committee dated November 9: to return the documents to the subjects of legislative initiative without including them on the agenda or for plenary consideration.
Why the committee’s conclusions are so important for the state budget
On October 28, the Verkhovna Rada supported Resolution No. 16000/P in full with 239 votes. The day before, on October 27, the document was adopted as a basis. Under the special budget procedure, the adoption of a resolution containing conclusions and proposals means that the draft state budget law has passed its first reading. Thus, the government received a basis for revising the document.
According to the parliamentary Budget Committee, 5,236 parliamentary proposals were submitted to the draft, of which 90 consolidated budget conclusions were prepared. Committee Chair Roksolana Pidlasa reported that implementing all the submitted amendments would have required an additional UAH 13.5 trillion. This is more than the expenditures planned for the whole of 2027.
The budget committee’s proposals included:
- an increase in military personnel’s monetary allowances;
- an increase in state guarantees for enterprises of the defense-industrial complex to UAH 60 billion;
- additional funds for medicines for rare diseases;
- housing for internally displaced persons;
- support for farmers.
There were also proposals to allocate 4% of personal income tax to community budgets, expand insurance against war risks, and review the financing of certain programmes (in particular, the "National Cashback" programme).
What amounts were included in the draft state budget for 2027
According to the Ministry of Finance, the government’s submitted draft budget for 2027 provides for revenues of UAH 5 trillion 648 billion and expenditures of UAH 7 trillion 272 billion. Compared with the amended 2026 plan, revenues are expected to increase by 8.7%, while expenditures are expected to rise by 13.5%.
Security and defense remain the top priority: UAH 4 trillion 885 billion is allocated for them. This is more than two-thirds of the total planned expenditures and UAH 517.9 billion more than in the amended 2026 plan.
UAH 540.3 billion is planned for social benefits and measures of the Ministry of Social Policy. To cover the state’s financial needs in 2027, the government is also counting on international support amounting to $52.6 billion.
Could the dispute between officials delay the adoption of the budget
The Rules Committee’s decision of November 9 does not directly change the budget draft’s figures or cancel its first reading. Since the three resolutions were recommended for return to their authors, the budget conclusions adopted on October 28 remain a reference point for the government’s work on the next version of the draft law.
The scenario would have been different if the Verkhovna Rada itself had revoked its decision regarding the budget conclusions. In that case, questions would have arisen about the need for new approval of the parliament's proposals, the subsequent first-reading procedure, and the possible impact on the schedule for considering the budget. However, this did not happen.
The issue of timing is particularly sensitive for a wartime budget. The Cabinet of Ministers must manage to reconcile the needs of defense, social payments, reconstruction, and other areas with actual revenues and the possibilities for attracting external financing. Delays in the budget procedure create additional uncertainty for state funds administrators and local budgets, which are planning their own expenditures for the following year.
For now, all that remains is to await the next decisive stage—the publication of the draft revised by the government, the comparison tables on the incorporation of the budget conclusions, and its consideration in the second reading. Only then will it become clear which of the lawmakers' proposals will be reflected in the actual budget figures.
We remind you
As UNN wrote, the Cabinet of Ministers is preparing the 2027 Budget for the second reading promptly and taking into account the IMF's requirements.