Search

Today, the question of introducing state-of-the-art economic management technologies in Ukraine is very urgent, especially in the area of fiscal policy. Among all instruments of such policy, it is necessary to distinguish fiscal rules, which have positively proved themselves in foreign countries in the process of managing economic fluctuations, in overcoming economic crises and achieving sustainable economic growth. So, the study of the essence of such rules as the main tool for anti-cyclical regulation of the national economy, the peculiarities of their impact on the socio-economic situation of the country and the possibility of their introduction in Ukraine are urgent questions. The purpose of the article is to study the impact of fiscal rules on the economic situation in the country, as well as the definition of place of such tools in the system of counter-cyclical regulation of the economy and the feasibility of their implementation in fiscal practice of Ukraine. It was established that the introduction of fiscal rules is associated with economic fluctuations, economic crises that shocked the economies of the world during the twentieth century – beginning of the XXI century. It was found that the introduction of fiscal rules is preceded by strategic planning and forecasting of the economic development of the country, which should be based and include a set of indicative indicators necessary to achieve future goals, and not a spontaneous solution, which can lead to further aggravation economic and social situation. The fiscal rule is a multifaceted instrument that aims to achieve overall macroeconomic stabilization and economic equilibrium. The authors believe that fiscal rules are the psychological tool for the government to enforce fiscal policy discipline. In the socio-economic conditions of Ukraine, it will be advisable to introduce fiscal restrictions that will serve to shape discipline, transparency in the budget process, debt policy, government spending policy and tax policy. Transparent, predetermined parameters will lead to the formation of a positive investment climate, increase the level of confidence in the government, reduce the shadow economy, and increase the social standards of living.

The issue of implementation of the areas of fiscal consolidation is particularly relevant in terms of the accumulation of public deficits and public debt in such amounts when the country is on the verge of insolvency. A clear policy to gradually reduce these deficits is necessary, since the budget deficit and quasi-fiscal deficits are rapidly increasing. This will help stabilizing public debt dynamics, and facilitating resolving the shortterm financial difficulties. The situation in Ukraine is complicated by the very low possibility to eliminate external shocks, since foreign exchange reserves and financial reserves are at their minimum, and continuing to show a downward trend. In addition, Ukraine’s economy is experiencing a phase of economic recession. Although the causes of these adverse events are complex and represent a number of external and internal factors, a path to immediate macroeconomic stabilization in Ukraine is possible. Reducing these macroeconomic imbalances should be the main task for the government in the near future, because otherwise there is no real opportunity to achieve sustainable economic growth. Further structural fiscal reforms in public spending are mandatory to maintain macroeconomic stability and economic development in the medium term. Fiscal consolidation will reduce external imbalances, help restoring fiscal space lost due to the crisis, and reduce the financial needs of the state budget and premium for sovereign risk. There are good reasons to conduct fiscal consolidation measures largely by public spending because their level relative to GDP is very high. Furthermore, it is the running costs should be subject to consolidation as capital expenditures have been already reduced to historically low levels. It is proven that there are very limited opportunities for consolidation on the basis of public revenues, because the concentration of GDP in the budget is already high and it would be difficult to raise revenues substantially without compromising growth prospects. The possibility of using the mechanisms fiscal consolidation in Ukraine and foreign countries, their characteristics and problems are defined. In this respect, special attention is paid to the nature of fiscal consolidation and its types, characteristics of fiscal consolidation measures in a crisis, measures of active debt policy as part of financial stability and opportunities to stabilize Ukraine’s public finances in the medium term.

This paper examines existing methods of public debt management, features of their application, the problem of high levels of public debt and the efficiency of public debt management in Ukraine. Priorities debt policy of Ukraine in the context of the main methods are proposed for public debt management.

The article analyzes the effectiveness of debt policy of Ukraine, to its shortcomings and implications for the economy. The evaluation of the domestic government securities market and its impact on the efficiency of debt management.

This article presents the opinion of the German historian Hans Peter Ullmann on the topic of national debt relief. Ullmann states his opinion that political and economic solutions for debt relief neglect the historical context and complexity of the actual problems, that national debt relief is a political problem and therefore social and economical ramifications of national debt should be fixed by politicians, and why a historical perspective on national debt relief has contemporary relevance.