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Viewing cable 08KYIV2532, IMF NEGATIVE ON UKRAINE BUDGET BOMB

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
08KYIV2532 2008-12-30 15:25 2011-08-30 01:44 UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Embassy Kyiv
VZCZCXRO7233
PP RUEHIK RUEHLN RUEHPOD RUEHSK RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHKV #2532/01 3651525
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 301525Z DEC 08
FM AMEMBASSY KYIV
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6981
INFO RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC
RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KYIV 002532 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EUR/UMB, EEB/OMA 
TREASURY PASS TO TTORGERSON 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EFIN EREL ECON ETRD PGOV PREL XH UP
SUBJECT:  IMF NEGATIVE ON UKRAINE BUDGET BOMB 
 
REF: KYIV 2434 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED, NOT FOR INTERNET DISTRIBUTION 
 
1.  (SBU) Summary.  The local IMF office has unofficially told us 
that the 2009 budget is "quite negative" and likened the budget's 
failure to reign in pension outlays to an "exploding bomb." 
According to the IMF, the 2009 budget is based on unrealistic 
macroeconomic projections and a 2.97 percent deficit that is far 
higher than allowed under the IMF's Stand-By Arrangement (SBA). 
 
2.  (SBU) After four attempts by Ukraine's parliament, the Verkhovna 
Rada passed a 2009 budget bill on the narrowest of margins on 
December 26.  President Viktor Yushchenko signed the budget into law 
on December 29, but only after extracting a promise from PM Yulia 
Tymoshenko that the budget would be amended when the Rada returns 
from its holiday recess.  Critics appeared from all corners; some 
ministries condemned the allocations as spendthrift or misdirected, 
while the President's office called the GOU's revenue indicators 
"virtual rather than realistic."  End summary. 
 
 
IMF on the Foreseen Deficit 
--------------------------- 
 
3.  (SBU) The IMF's local budget expert Igor Shpak told us on 
December 30 that the IMF has yet to voice an official view of the 
2009 budget.  Unofficially, however, the IMF had a "quite negative" 
assessment of the budget, he said. (Note: The IMF recently pulled 
its residential representative from Kyiv - see reftel.  Shpak is one 
of several local employees in the leaderless office and an expert on 
macroeconomic and budget issues.  End note)  The budget's UAH 31.105 
billion (roughly $4.15 billion) deficit, projected at 2.97 percent 
of GDP, is far higher than is allowed under the IMF's $16.4 billion 
SBA, even after acceptable adjustments are made for bank 
recapitalizations and project finance.  Shpak said that the 
maintenance of a balanced budget conditionality would be a "key 
subject" for the IMF review team, slated to appraise Ukraine's SBA 
implementation in late January. 
 
4.  (SBU) Even if the balanced budget conditionality were modified 
to account for a worse economic situation since the SBA was approved 
in October, said Shpak, the GOU would "still have a bad budget," 
since it is based on unrealistic macroeconomic projections that 
underpin the GOU's GDP and revenue forecasts.  The government's 
estimation that 2009 GDP growth will be 0.4 percent was unrealistic, 
he said.  (Note: Leading think tanks such as Kyiv-based ICPS have 
published baseline growth predictions at or below -5.5 percent. End 
note)  Furthermore, said Shpak, the budget relies on an 
unsustainable amount of domestic borrowing, targeted at UAH 70 
billion after the GOU only raised UAH 10 billion in 2008 
domestically.  Heavy public borrowing, even at far lower levels than 
those foreseen in the 2009 budget, would seriously crowd out private 
sector borrowing and contribute to the economic downturn, he said. 
The biggest drag on the budget is the "exploding bomb" of an 
unreformed pension system.  Since the Rada voted down legislative 
measures that would have capped increases for the most privileged 
pension recipients, the GOU will now be forced to increase revenues. 
 Rada Speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn told the IMF, according to Shpak, 
that MPs are prepared to take measures to increase revenues when 
they return from their holiday recess in mid-January. 
 
Absentee Support 
---------------- 
 
5.  (U) It took the Rada four attempts to pass the 2009 bill with 
226 out of 450 votes - the required minimum.  All members of the 
BYuT and Lytvyn factions supported the budget, as did 46 OU/PSD MPs. 
 The Communist faction did not vote, neither did United Center or 
For Ukraine MPs. 
 
6.  (SBU) The murkiest story coming out of the Rada's deliberations 
was the absentia support of three MPs - two from Party of Regions, 
Volodymyr Hureyev and Petro Korzh, who defied their faction's 
leadership in favor of the bill.  After the vote, deputy Regions 
head Oleksandr Yefremov claimed that Hureyev and Korzh's voting 
cards had been illegally tampered with in their absence.  BYuT MP 
Ihor Rybakov likewise issued a statement that he had been physically 
absent from the session hall during the vote, that his voting card 
was with him in his absence, and that the vote marked under his name 
had been falsified. 
 
Critics from All Corners 
------------------------ 
 
7.  (SBU) After declaring that "a bad budget is better than no 
 
KYIV 00002532  002 OF 002 
 
 
budget," President Yushchenko signed the bill into law on December 
29.  Yushchenko and Tymoshenko arranged that the Rada would take up 
possible budget amendments in January, when new economic growth and 
revenue figures are released. 
 
8.  (SBU) Through Presidential Secretariat deputy Oleksandr Shlapak, 
the Yushchenko camp declared the GOU's revenue estimates to be 
"virtual rather than realistic," pointing to overrated macroeconomic 
indicators that hide an additional revenue shortfall of UAH 20 
billion (roughly $2.67 billion) beyond the budget's current 
projections.  Shlapak criticized the projected growth in state debt 
of UAH 103 billion (roughly $13.7 billion) which, as foreseen by the 
budget, would be financed by domestic borrowing of UAH 70 billion 
($9 billion).  Such figures would "more than double" state debt and 
increase borrowing seven-fold, money that banks cannot supply, 
according to the President's aide.  In addition to current outlays 
for wages and social programs, an additional UAH 6 billion ($780 
million) must still be budgeted for the "imbalanced" Pension Fund, 
said Shlapak. 
 
9.  (SBU) Ukrainian Defense Minister Yuriy Yekhanurov lashed out at 
Rada members who put social programs and subsidies ahead of 
servicemen and other budget sector workers.  To pay for pensions, 
said Yekhanurov, other budget items, including Defense Ministry 
programs, have been tapped.  The Ukrainian armed forces are due to 
receive UAH 7.4 billion (roughly $1 billion) in 2009, against UAH 9 
billion in 2008. 
 
10. (SBU) Ukrainian Emergencies Minister Volodymyr Shandra likewise 
expressed frustration with the amount of funds allocated to his 
Ministry.  "I think nobody is satisfied with that budget -- the 
state is obliged to ensure social standards, territorial integrity, 
and protection from crime for its citizens." 
 
11.  (SBU) Comment. Since it was released publicly on December 29, 
the biggest question in Kyiv among GOU fiscal policy watchers has 
been whether the 2009 budget meets IMF standards.  Clearly, 
according to the IMF's own expert, the budget fails on this and 
other accounts.  It's possible that the upcoming program review, 
slated for the second half of January, will lead to a modification 
of the balanced-budget requirement because the economic situation 
has deteriorated far faster than anyone, including the IMF, could 
have foreseen in October, when the SBA was approved.  However, the 
IMF will continue to insist on budget discipline, even if it allows 
a modest deficit.  Looking forward, we expect the GOU to seriously 
test the IMF's willingness to adhere to whatever budget 
conditionalities it imposes on Ukraine.  The fractured political 
landscape will continue to make it difficult for the GOU to take the 
painful measures necessary to establish true budget discipline, and 
various ministers' outcries over the cuts in their respective 
budgets this week indicate that the Rada will face pressures to 
increase allocations to key ministries with political clout. 
Whether the IMF rolls over on its balanced budget conditionality 
will be an early key indicator of its SBA's prospects for success. 
End comment. 
 
TAYLOR