Ukraine needs at least five years to reform its housing and communal services, believes Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Construction, Architecture and Housing and Communal Services Volodymyr Rybak.

Former Finance Minister, head of the "Reforms and Order" party Viktor Pynzenyk believes that after the introduction of VAT accounts, which is planned by the draft law "On the State Budget of Ukraine for 2007," a rise in prices for a number of commodity items is possible, reports "LIHABiznesInform".

The Ukrainian Parliament supported in the first reading the draft state budget for 2007. 256 deputies voted for it, including 8 BYuT members and 11 "Our Ukraine" members. Before that, BYuT called on deputies not to vote for the budget.

On Friday, October 27, Ukraine and the European Union initialed an agreement on visa facilitation within the framework of the Tenth Ukraine-EU Summit in Helsinki.

The general fund of the city budget for revenues without subventions and grants for 9 months of this year was fulfilled at 105.3%. With the refined revenue plan of 85.1 million UAH, 89.6 million UAH was actually received. The overfulfillment amounts to 4 million 481 thousand UAH.

Prime Minister of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych has warned governors about personal responsibility for the untimely start of the heating season.

The priority direction of budget policy in 2007 will be the improvement of the system of state support for scientific and scientific-technical activity.

The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has adopted a resolution establishing new gas prices for the population. This was reported to journalists in an interview on Wednesday by Minister of Fuel and Energy Yuriy Boyko, according to a «proUA» correspondent.

President Viktor Yushchenko has signed the law passed by parliament that obliges local budgets to compensate housing and utility service providers for underestimated tariffs, the press service of the head of state reported.