Trade and processing are draining the budget: who will fill Ukraine’s coffers at the beginning of 2026?
18 February 20:16
Trade and manufacturing companies accounted for more than a third of all tax revenues to Ukraine’s consolidated budget in January 2026. Their total contribution was 36.4%. This was reported by the State Tax Service, according to "Komersant Ukrainian".
The data indicates that the structure of budget revenues remains unchanged, with domestic demand, trade in goods, and processing playing a key role, rather than just raw materials.
Who generates the bulk of taxes
The largest contributors to the budget remain wholesale and retail trade, as well as repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles, accounting for 19.5% of all tax revenues. This reflects both the size of the consumer market and the significant number of people employed in the sector.
The processing industry provided another 16.9%, securing its position as the second most important industry. Together, these two sectors accounted for more than a third of the consolidated budget’s revenues.
By comparison, the contribution of other major sectors is more modest:
- public administration and defense; compulsory social insurance — 12.8%,
- mining and quarrying — 5.7%.
Where growth was fastest
On an annual basis (compared to January 2025), several industries showed a noticeable increase in tax payments.
The largest increase in percentage terms was recorded in the extractive industry — 26.6%, which in absolute terms brought UAH 1.9 billion to the budget. This may indicate both a recovery in production and a change in the price environment or tax base.
The manufacturing industry added 18.8% or UAH 4.1 billion, confirming the trend towards strengthening the role of domestic processing in the economy.
Growth was also recorded in:
- public administration and defense — 12% (UAH 2.1 billion),
- trade and transport repair — 6.7% (UAH 1.9 billion).
What this means for the budget
The structure of revenues for January shows that the budget is increasingly relying on mass industries with a broad tax base, rather than just individual export and raw material segments. At the same time, the share of the extractive industry remains relatively low, even despite the rapid growth in payments.
Against this backdrop, the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine reports that in January 2026, UAH 17.8 billion was transferred to the general fund of local budgets, which is 99.4% of the funds planned for the month. This indicates stable execution of budget allocations at the beginning of the year.
