Watch in the program: Parliamentary mathematics. Analyzing draft budget for 2013. Anzhelika asked MPs about donors of political parties. Mazhorytary (Majoritarians – a title of rubric in Dear Deputies TV program – tr.) have inspected the district of Ihor Palytsia. Civil Network OPORA and TVi Channel have examined promises of MPs chosen in SMDs of Poltava oblast.
VR budget: financial support, VIP-terminals, pensions.
Journalists of the Dear Deputies program on TVi Channel have examined scandalous draft budget of the Verkhovna Rada for 2013. In particular, it is planned to increase parliamentary expenses and financing of MPs. In 2013, the budget is proposed to be increased to 850 million UAH. To compare, the budget for 2012 was 784 million UAH. Which are the main expense items? Remuneration for MPS and their assistants – 334 million UAH, and 300 million UAH – to cover expenses on VR activities.
How much expenses will rise? It was proposed to allocate more funds to former MPs, therefore, ex-MPs will receive 42 million more. Accommodation for MPs will cost 24 million more. "16 million UAH – is financial support for MPs. It should be mentioned, that such support was canceled the last year, and is planned to be restored now. In fact, MPs will receive one-time payment in amount of 36 thousand UAH, what is the sum of two salaries, and these 16 million will include assistance for every MP", – explained the host of the Dear Deputies TV program Yuliia Bankova.
Besides that, journalists have learned about things on which MPs are not trying to economize at all. Thus, they don't want to save on VIP-terminals and pension allowance. Every ex-MP which will "entertain grandchildren and plant a vegetable garden" is to receive 70 thousand UAH. MPs are expecting in the draft budget that 71 persons which were proudly wearing the badge saying "People's Deputy of Ukraine" will retire this year.
Vitalii Klychko told Anzhelika about sources of financing in his party
Political parties started to promulgate their financial reports and sources of financing. So, the Party of Regions gathered 325 million UAH last year, and All-Ukrainian Union Svoboda – only 27 million. At the same time, member fees constitute only a small percent of financing sources. Where do politicians take money than? A correspondent of the Dear Deputies program Anzhelika was trying to find out.
Andrii Mokhnyk, member of the Svoboda party, answered the question about the party financing: "You can find declarations which contain numbers with six zeros even among MPs themselves."
Leader of the same party Oleh Tiahnybok added: "There is a part of members of the All-Ukrainian Union Svoboda which are active businessmen." According to him, the very member fees are quite helpful.
"Membership fees are not limited. A person should give any sum in any case: 3 UAH, 10, 100, or thousand," – told Tiahnybok.
Yuliia Tymoshenko's party doesn't have precise fixing of member fees too. MP Oleksandr Turchynov has provided such information. Entrepreneurs, which decide to provide financing for the Batkivshchyna, are taking risks.
"Any business, which will try to support the opposition immediately has problems with taxation
bodies, public prosecution, police, SBU etc."– commented Turchynov.
Membership fees in the UDAR party are miserable. According to Vitalii Klychko, the "donation" is 10 UAH. Who is the financier of the UDAR? Klychko answers: "I can name one, the biggest – it's me."
Full recording of the program: