00:00Pension payments were item number one of expenses in the expanded budget.
00:04The consolidated budget plus extra budgetary funds, in 2021, the total expenditures of the
00:10Pension Fund of Ukraine amounted to almost 521 billion hryvnias, or about 35% of all the
00:19country's expenditures. At the same time, 177.6 billion hryvnias from this amount came directly
00:26from the state budget to finance pensions and other planned payments. That is, even before the
00:32war, the contributions of insured workers were not enough to independently sustain the pension
00:36system. Its deficit of 34 even then had to be covered by general budget resources. And the
00:43state budget is, ultimately, taxes from citizens and businesses. Every hryvnia in the budget has
00:49an opportunity cost. If it is directed to cover pension obligations, it can no longer be spent
00:55at the same time on a school, university, or hospital. To be continued.
