Govt improves forecast US dollar exchange rate at late 2023 to UAH 45.8/$1, NBU receipts plan by UAH 51.6 bln in draft state budget 2023

KYIV. Nov 1 (Interfax-Ukraine) – When finalizing the draft state budget 2023 for the second reading, the government of Ukraine improved the assessment of the hryvnia exchange rate at the end of next year to UAH 45.8/$1 from UAH 50/$1 in the original version, while leaving unchanged the forecast of the average annual exchange rate of UAH 42.2/$1, MP Yaroslav Zhelezniak, the deputy head of the parliamentary committee on finance, tax and customs policy, has said.

According to his data, the forecast of receipts from the NBU has been increased by UAH 51.6 billion, to UAH 71 billion.

The MP added that the Cabinet of Ministers predicts the return of 1.8 million citizens from abroad in 2023 after a negative balance of migration of 9.43 million citizens in 2022.

As reported, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, after the government approved the draft state budget 2023 for the second reading on October 31, announced that the GDP growth forecast had been worsened from 4.6% to 3.2%, with a slight improvement in the inflation forecast from 30% to 28%.

According to him, receipts were increased by more than UAH 50 billion, expenses by UAH 66.8 billion.

According to Zhelezniak, receipts in the draft state budget 2023 finalized by the government for the second reading amount to UAH 1.329 trillion, expenditures – UAH 2.581 trillion, the limit of the deficit is UAH 1.297 trillion, or 20.6% of GDP, the upper threshold for public debt is UAH 6.423 trillion.

The MP said that in addition to the growth in receipts from the National Bank, the estimate of income from import VAT was also increased – by UAH 27.1 billion, personal income tax – by UAH 14.8 billion, excise tax on fuel – by UAH 7 billion, while income tax revenue forecasts were reduced by UAH 21.3 billion and VAT on goods produced in Ukraine by UAH 6 billion.

Zhelezniak said that the government again provided UAH 1.4 billion for the telethon, "although the corresponding amendment was knocked down during the first reading," and also increased spending on the State Road Fund by UAH 7 billion, to UAH 64.3 billion.