Customs benefits for imports grew faster than budget revenues - Ministry of Finance

In the third quarter of 2026, the volume of customs benefits during the import of goods into Ukraine increased by 34.5% compared to the same period last year. Meanwhile, revenues from customs payments to the state budget increased by only 18.1%. Thus, the volume of benefits provided grew almost twice as fast as actual budget revenues.

According to the quarterly review of the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine, published on October 21.

From July to September, customs provided revenues to the state budget in the amount of UAH 228.7 billion. This is UAH 35 billion more than in the corresponding period of 2025, when revenues amounted to UAH 193.7 billion.

At the same time, the amount of benefits for the payment of customs duties during the clearance of imported goods reached UAH 107.6 billion. Compared to the third quarter of last year, it increased by UAH 27.6 billion, or 34.5%. In July-September 2025, the volume of such benefits amounted to UAH 80 billion.

Thus, the growth rate of customs preferences almost doubled the growth rate of budget revenues. Importantly, these are legislatively provided exemptions from customs payments, not established state budget losses.

The Ministry of Finance did not provide a detailed breakdown of these benefits by product categories in the text part of the quarterly review. Therefore, it is impossible to determine which import groups provided the largest increase in preferences based on the published aggregate figures.

Imports grew, exports contracted

In parallel, foreign trade volumes in Ukraine increased. According to the Ministry of Finance, trade turnover in the third quarter amounted to $34.4 billion, up from $31.3 billion a year earlier.

The main growth factor was imports, the volume of which increased from $21.8 billion to $25.9 billion. Meanwhile, Ukrainian exports decreased from $9.5 billion to $8.5 billion.

As a result, the negative trade balance in goods for the quarter increased to $17.4 billion compared to $12.3 billion in the corresponding period last year. The gap between imports and exports grew by about 41%.

Thus, the increase in revenues from customs payments occurred against the background of rising imports and further expansion of the trade deficit.

Earlier it was reported that in the first half of 2026, the volume of customs benefits increased by 45.3% to UAH 209.2 billion. More than half of the preferences were then granted for the import of defense goods. Data for the third quarter indicate a further increase in the total amount of benefits, although the pace of their annual growth slowed.

Based on: Ministry of Finance of Ukraine