“National Cashback” may be reduced by 2.5 times: where do they plan to direct the saved billions?

Ukraine is considering a significant reformatting of the National Cashback program. Its budget could potentially be reduced by 2.5 times, which would allow the state to save up to 4 billion hryvnias annually.

The Minister of Economy and Environment of Ukraine, Oleksandr Kravchenko, announced possible changes. There is currently no final decision on the format of the program – discussions are continuing at the Ministry of Economy.

They want to keep cashback not for all categories of goods

If the National Cashback is continued, the program may become more targeted. State support is planned to be focused primarily on categories in which Ukrainian manufacturers face significant competition from imports.

The minister named textiles and cheeses among the potential categories.

Thus, cashback is considered not only as a way to return part of the cost of goods to the buyer, but also as a tool to stimulate demand for products of Ukrainian manufacturers.

The state can save up to 4 billion hryvnias

If the new approach is implemented, the budget of the “National Cashback” may be reduced by 2.5 times. According to the minister, this will allow saving up to 4 billion hryvnias per year.

One of the reasons for revising the program is the need to find additional funding to expand state support for businesses that have suffered as a result of Russian shelling.

According to the estimates, about 6 billion hryvnias are needed to implement the relevant government programs.

How the “National Cashback” works now

The program has been in effect since September 2024 and provides for the return of part of the funds to buyers for the purchase of goods from Ukrainian manufacturers participating in it.

From March 1, 2026, the model was changed. Instead of a single rate of 10%, a differentiated cashback was introduced – 5% or 15% depending on the product category.

The increased rate is applied, in particular, to categories with a high share of imports.

Changes may also affect “Winter Support”

The Ministry of Economy is also considering the possibility of changing approaches to the “Winter Support” program.

The idea is that budget payments should stimulate the purchase of Ukrainian goods and services and thus return funds to the country’s economy.

At the same time, the Ministry of Economy emphasizes that the final decision on the further configuration of the “National Cashback” is still being discussed.