Genesis of public finances and their development in Ukraine

Introduction. Dynamic, systemic transformations in society impact the development of socio-economic relations and improvement of terminology. Financial science is constantly updated, enriched with new terms that reveal and/or expand the essential meaning of certain financial processes and phenomena. A new term “public finance” appeared, which has gained great popularity in the scientific economic literature, especially among scientists of Ukraine. Researching its essence is an important factor in better understanding not only the genesis of the origin, but also the meaning of modern finance. Problem Statement. Obtaining the status of a candidate for EU membership opens up new opportunities for Ukraine and imposes certain obligations on bringing domestic financial terminology to generally recognized international practice. It is necessary to decide on the composition of public finances, which should be in the system of managing the country's financial resources. After all, the reconstruction of the state after the war will require increased attention from the public regarding the accumulation, distribution, redistribution and use of financial resources in the priority directions of socio-economic development. The question of the effectiveness of management and use of financial resources today and in the near future will become an extremely urgent task of the entire system of the country's financial resources (Public Finance Management, PFM). The purpose is to determine the genesis of the concept, essence, composition, structure of public finances and prospects for their development. Methods. General scientific and special methods are used: analysis, synthesis, grouping, description, comparison, theoretical generalization and abstract-logical. Results. The dominant definition of public finance, in addition to meeting public needs, is independence and autonomy, as well as transparent formation and completion of all stages of the budget process. Based on this concept, it can be argued that under the conditions of the Soviet system, due to the lack of transparent mechanisms for the formation of budget revenues and budget execution, it was state rather than public finances that existed. The emergence of public finances is closely related to the activities of public authorities, which represent the state as a social institution and perform its functions at all levels of government. The democratization of state institutions affected the activities of state structures, including financial institutions. It is the relations concerning the formation and use of finances to satisfy the needs and interests of the people using the mechanism of transparency and openness of public funds management that are the basis of the formation of public finances. This peculiarity is a characteristic feature that makes it possible to distinguish them from public finances. The author'sdefinition of the term “public finance” is proposed. Conclusions. The complexity and ambiguity of the interpretation of the term “public finance” among scientists has been proven, which reflects, on the one hand, the historical past of the financial system of Ukraine, and on the other hand, the essential specificity of this term. It is advisable to improve the conceptual apparatus of domestic financial science, in particular by carrying out relevant reforms, introducing the term “public finance” into practice and enshrining it at the legislative level. Transparency, openness of the authorities that dominate the financial and budgetary systems of Western European countries and help them better perform the functions of the state is a determining factor of public finances as a special type of modern financial and social relations.