KIEV, Dec 24 (Reuters) - Ukraine's 2008 budget deficit may go uncovered because of a lack of available funds, Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko said on Wednesday.
"The central bank has refused to refinance banks which had agreed to provide credits for the planned state budget deficit by the end of the year," Tymoshenko told a news conference on the eve of a parliamentary debate on the 2009 budget. "This places us on the brink of failing to implement the budget."
The planned 2008 deficit stands at 25 billion hryvnias, or about 2.5 percent of GDP. The budget deficit for 2009 has been set at 2.96 percent, despite an IMF requirement for a deficit-free budget as a condition for a $16.4 billion loan. (Reporting by Natalya Zinets, writing by Ron Popeski; editing by Stephen Nisbet)