50 partner hromadas of the USAID DOBRE Programme from the Dnipropetrovsk, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kirovohrad, Mykolayiv, Ternopil, Kharkiv and Kherson Oblasts, with the support of the experts of the Civil Partnership “For Transparent Local Budgets!”, for the first time in Ukraine showed all expenditures and revenues of local budgets in a simple and understandable form for the citizens. Each hromada has developed and disseminated an innovative tool for budget information and citizens’ engagement in the budget process – a budget for citizens.

The budget for citizens is a new format for explaining complex budget issues in Ukraine using convenient formats: infographics, interactive presentations, printed publications with visualised data, which provide information on how and where the hromada’s money goes.

“I’m glad that hromadas have made such a courageous step – they revealed the budget data, and some even showed salaries of the apparatus. They appeared to be rather commensurate with other expenditures. The cost per pupil in small schools is clearly indicative of the need for more rational spending. Budgets for citizens show taxpayers and amount of taxes paid by them to the hromada, amount of funds invested in development, and amount of funds guzzled away. They open the whole field for discussion between hromada leaders and residents. I hope, and these discussions will take place. This is the price to be paid for building trust between the authorities and citizens,” said Yulia Tkachuk, head of anti-corruption component of the DOBRE Programme.

“The budget for citizens gives an idea of ​​how the budget affects the lives of every citizen. It helps not only better perceive budget information, but also promote accountability and transparency of hromada funds’ management,” noted Anatoliy Boyko, coordinator of the Civil Partnership “For Transparent Local Budgets!”.

Ad hoc working groups of financiers and representatives of the public worked on preparation of budgets for citizens in each hromada. Every budget for citizens contains information on the main revenues and priority areas of hromada financing, including expenses on schools, hospitals and salary payment in hromada.

The first budgets for citizens are available HERE.

The full version is available in Ukrainian – please click HERE