And why giving birth to a child or becoming a mother of many children is not the best way out.
And why giving birth to a child or becoming a mother of many children is not a ray
A well-known economist explained how you can avoid the fate of a "dependent" if you were left without a job and could not find a new one.
The Ministry of Labor predicts that about 250 thousand Belarusians may fall under decree No. 1. In the resolution of March 31, 2018 No. 239, the Council of Ministers gave a definition to the employed and not employed in the economy of Belarusians. It also became known that the "parasites" will pay the full rate for housing and communal services and for the use of living quarters.
The head of the Mises research center, Yaroslav Romanchuk, at the request of Tomorrow of your country, named 5 ways to "roll away" from the updated decree on "parasitism".
Method number 1: become an artisan
The simplest thing is to register as an artisan. You will make one wooden spoon a month or two a quarter, report back, pretend that nothing is for sale. The next six months or a year can be devoted to creating a pewter or wooden mug.
Method number 2: go to gardeners
The second is to get hold of an abandoned plot and grow tomatoes, cucumbers and so on.
Method number 3: start a business
Third, the registration of an individual entrepreneur is a rather expensive plot.
Method number 4: join a creative union
Creative people can try to enter into a creative union and say that we are poets, writers, write imperishable things, and for five years compose some kind of brochure that should become a contribution to the development of state ideology.
Method number 5: leave Belarus
But the simplest thing - and I think many Belarusians will choose this - to leave the country. First, to earn money, and then forever - to cling to the market of Poland, Lithuania, Germany, Russia or Ukraine, as many do, and say: “Come on, this country, the authorities of which make us pay for the fact that we do not work, and cannot create jobs. " This is the most dangerous thing that follows from this decree.
Five questions about the "parasite" decree
Those who are raising children under 7 or raising three or more minor children are not included in the list of "parasites". Perhaps, by this resolution, the Council of Ministers will increase the birth rate, and many Belarusians will decide to “roll away” from “parasitism” by giving birth to a child, or better yet, three?
Absolutely out of the question. If registering an artisan costs almost nothing, as well as self-employment with a piece of land, then imagine how much it costs for a child.
According to the document, priests are not "parasites". But what about their wives, who do not officially work?
I think the status of the Russian Orthodox Church in Belarus is such that a clergyman will always find a way to pray for the best solution to his issue. And this does not apply to Catholics - they have no wives.
They will give them some kind of plot near the military unit, they will be issued by individual entrepreneurs or artisans. Necessity for inventions is cunning. Psychological support of soldiers and cadets of military units - here you are, a craftsman or individual entrepreneur.
Do you think there are many people willing to re-register their housing so that the "parasite" does not pay 100% for a communal apartment?
It's complicated. It remains to be seen how it will be calculated, one hundred percent or not. If the wife is on maternity leave, and the husband does not work, how will the payment for housing and communal services be divided? More questions than answers. They have confused themselves - so much energy, time and attention that officials (who receive a good salary!) Spend on these regulations. For this money, it was possible to raise an entire district from the ashes, build and make a salary of a thousand dollars.
Unfortunately, in our country such a waste of resources is apparently considered productive. This suggests that the authorities have not learned to admit their own mistakes and have not even learned to release them on the brakes. We breed rule-making mugs, and then we hide behind these mugs and at the same time claim the title of a great IT-country in which there are opportunities for business development, not realizing that today the development of the economy and business is, first of all, human capital. People who are forced to work by taxes and additional payments for services are not free capital. This means that it will not work productively.
How many Belarusians will get to the commission on "parasitism"?
If there is a referendum in 2019, then, of course, not enough. The political context is not one to further irritate people. And besides irritation, he certainly will not cause anything.
"Resolution of the Council of Ministers is the bottom of the Belarusian legislation"
- There is no scientific logic there. I had to submit something by April 1, so they did it. This, in fact, is the face of power.
It will be commissions to figure out which of the Belarusians is a "parasite" and who is in a difficult life situation.
The creation of commissions is provided for by the Resolution of the Council of Ministers of March 31, 2018 No. 240, which approved the approximate regulation on a permanent commission to coordinate work to promote employment of the population.
“The approximate provision on a permanent commission is the bottom of the Belarusian legislation and legal science, because it couldn't be worse,” Yaroslav Romanchuk comments. - The law must be clear, unambiguous, understood by all in the same way. When a provision is called approximate in the law, this is the same as the approximate Criminal Code, the approximate amount of the fine and punishment.
The expert assumes that the government does not know how to get out of this situation, and therefore leaves decision-making to the local authorities.
- The executive committees can use this document against those who criticize the authorities. This is a form of neo-feudalism or Belarusian serfdom. Decree No. 1 only strengthens it, the economist believes.
According to Romanchuk, this document is absurd, and the local authorities have not slipped to such a level of absurdity and will ignore it. For example, to show off an alcoholic. Like, just look at how we work, take care of employment and order.
Officials talked about how the approach to employment of citizens will change from 2019
Photo: Victor GILITSKY
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Until April 1, the government was to submit an updated Decree No. 1, which is popularly known as a decree on parasitism. Let us remind you that about a year ago, Alexander Lukashenko suspended the Decree No. 3 and instructed to revise it. But officials insist: this is not an updated decree, but a completely new document. And it is he who, as officials assure, will help everyone who wants it find work.
These are those who work under an employment contract (contract), civil law contract, individual entrepreneurs, lawyers, notaries, artisans, as well as those involved in agritourism. Those who do not register as an individual entrepreneur, but pay a single tax. Also, servicemen, employees of a paramilitary organization with special ranks, liable for military service during the passage of military or special training sessions, as well as those undergoing alternative service are not considered parasites. Also, creative workers whose status is confirmed by a creative union or a professional certificate of a creative worker will not be read as parasites. Priests, participants (members) of the monastery, the monastic community, as well as students of theological educational institutions will not be considered parasites. This also includes members of national and national teams in sports, unemployed who are registered in employment centers or undergo retraining from employment centers.
Those who raise a child under 7, a disabled child under 18, or three or more minor children were released from the status of "parasites".
Also employed in the economy will be considered those who are engaged in the production of crop products (except for floriculture, ornamental plants, their seeds and seedlings), livestock (except for Brest, Vitebsk, Gomel, Grodno, Minsk, Mogilev) on a land plot that was provided for subsidiary farming , running a farm (peasant) economy, etc.
Employed in the economy will be considered athletes-students of specialized educational and sports institutions, children's and youth sports schools (specialized children's and youth schools of the Olympic reserve), which are included in clubs by type (types) of sports in the form of separate structural units.
Who can not be on the list of parasites?
Those who cannot work for objective reasons. These are, for example, citizens with whom labor relations were terminated - during the quarter that follows the quarter when there was a dismissal. But if you lost your job due to a reduction in the number of staff, for health reasons, then the period increases by 6 months from the date of dismissal.
Servicemen, employees (workers) of a paramilitary organization, with special ranks of reservists during classes and training camps, as well as during alternative service, are excluded from the lists for 6 months, starting from a month after the termination of the above relations.
If you studied full-time at a university, then after graduation until the end of the calendar year, you are not included in the lists of parasites. It is the same with students of theological educational institutions.
If you rent out a house, a car-space for rent, and pay the tax, then you are not considered a parasite either.
Pensioners will not be included in the lists, including those receiving pensions from other countries, as well as receiving benefits for temporary disability.
Citizens who have come to our country for permanent residence, foreigners or stateless persons who have received a permanent residence permit in Belarus will not be considered parasites. But only for six months - during this time they will have to find work.
Who will need to prove their status?
Not everyone will automatically drop out of the lists. Some will be brought in after all. And in order to prove that you are not a parasite, you will have to come to the commission and confirm your status. Who should we come to?
First, those who quit should do so within a quarter. And this also applies to those who were left without work due to staff cuts. Also, the wives and husbands of the military, young specialists working abroad will have to come to the commission and prove their status of "not a parasite". If you are under medical supervision during pregnancy and childbirth, then you will also need to prove this to the commission.
How do you pay for a communal apartment?
The new decree on parasitism will start working in 2019. But there are still questions for him. For example, the new decree stipulates that citizens unemployed in the economy will pay for one hundred percent services. But which ones? Officials said that most likely it would be utilities. Then the question is: if there is one parasite and one working person in a family, how will they consider a communal apartment, at what rates?
The draft normative legal act defining the list of services (which will be paid at 100% tariffs by parasites. - Ed.) Is at the final stage of approval. And I think we will discuss this issue after the normative act is adopted, - said First Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Protection Andrei Lobovich.
What about those who work abroad?
They must confirm their status when contacting the commission. If they confirm that they legally work abroad, then the commission will exclude them from the database, and they will not be included in the list of unemployed in the economy, the official said.
- And if a person is studying abroad or traveling?- I asked the Komsomolskaya Pravda official a question.
The regulation defines the status of only confirmation of those working abroad. Regarding students abroad, the regulation does not prescribe.
Not quite right. If a person is a student abroad, respectively, he will live there, he can, in accordance with the documents confirming the status, apply to the commission and the commission will individually consider this.
- And if I traveled for 7 months?
We are not talking about a time period. The bases will be formed for the first and second half of the year with quarterly adjustments. Accordingly, according to the results of the quarter, if you fall under the category of employed for at least one day, then, accordingly, you will not be included in the database.
How much will the budget earn on parasites?
The purpose of implementing the decree is not to replenish budget income. The purpose of the decree's implementation is laid down in its title - to promote employment for the population. Those potential citizens who will fall into the database have every right, and the commission will reach them, and local authorities will assist in employment. To take advantage of this opportunity, this help of the state for a person is his personal position, his personal right. But the state is taking a step forward to assist in employment.
There are two unions of writers in Belarus and two unions of journalists. Who exactly will be considered a creative worker? Is it obligatory to be a member of the state union?
The regulation says that these are citizens who carry out creative activities as a creative worker, whose status is confirmed by the creative union. At the same time, our citizens include able-bodied citizens of the republic, foreign citizens and stateless persons who have received a permanent residence permit in the Republic of Belarus or a residence permit in the Republic of Belarus. If they confirm the status of a creative worker, there are no questions, he will be excluded from the database.
How do you know if I am a parasite or not?
There used to be letters of happiness that were sent to parasites. How do you know now whether you will be included in the list or not, whether you are in danger of a one hundred percent communal apartment?
The commissions and local authorities will make their own decisions, the position of the commission does not regulate the procedure for informing and notifying citizens that they will potentially fall into the database of the unemployed in the economy. We give this to the right of the commission based on the opportunities that they have. But I want to say that all citizens who enter the database will be informed that they are there.
Why will there be no mistakes with the new decree?
When Decree # 3 was in effect, many "letters of happiness" were sent to those who were not really a parasite.
- Aren't you afraid that this decree will also make mistakes?- asked "Komsomolskaya Pravda"
When forming a decree, normative legal acts in its development, the approaches that we have laid down will maximally use the data of information resources that are, and at the output, the data of the database that we will have, respectively, for working out by commissions, executive committees, proactively must reach every person. That is, it will not work out that someone will be informed, but they will not provide assistance or any measures to involve him in employment. That is, the initiative will be from local authorities. And then the right of every citizen to use help and change his status or stay in the status in which he is.
He ordered to suspend the decree No. 3 - "On the prevention of social dependency", better known as "the law on parasites." Throughout 2017, the fines prescribed by this document will not be issued to Belarusian citizens.
“During March, if necessary, we need to amend this decree. But the decree will not be canceled. First of all, convey to the officials that it will be executed with the adjustments I mentioned, ”the press service of the President of Belarus quotes Lukashenka as saying.
The politician also stressed that the purpose of the law is not economic, but moral: to encourage the population to go to work.
“Control is over the governors and the mayor of Minsk. You should have these lists of idlers in there that you need to get to work. And honest people shouldn't have been touched at all. We must not offend people, especially at this time, ”Lukashenka said.
“And those who today take 200-500 people to the streets and start shouting, these are not those parasites who are really parasites. These are mainly those people who are offended, to whom we have sent these notifications for no reason, ”the Belarusian leader added.
Since mid-February, there have been massive street protests in Belarus - something like this has not happened since the 2010 presidential elections. The protest wave, however, was not initiated by the opposition: it is not so much political activists who take to the streets as people who have never taken part in public protests before. Belarusians oppose the so-called tax on parasites.
Decree No. 3 "On the prevention of social dependency" was a problem for the official Minsk. The document was initiated and signed by Alyaksandr Lukashenka, and for him to publicly back down would mean losing face. But at the same time, it was obvious that the wave of protests was growing, and, which is quite unusual for Belarus, it was going through provincial cities. For example, in Vitebsk, the protest action against the tax on parasites turned out to be the largest in the history of the city, which neither the authorities nor the opposition expected.
The culmination of the protests was expected on the so-called "Freedom Day" - March 25. The Minsk authorities apparently did not want to repeat the 2010 riots that rocked the country after the presidential elections.
Until now, no one has dispersed the speeches of the "parasites" - but then their participants massively received summons from the police and "24 hours" according to administrative protocols. State television, at the same time, intimidated by the prospect of a "Maidan" and "militants with Molotov cocktails."
It became clear at the beginning of the week that the decree on parasites would be changed. On March 6, Deputy Speaker of the Belarusian Parliament Boleslav Pirshtuk met with representatives of the opposition (which is extremely rare for Belarus) and promised that by mid-March the decree would be seriously revised, and the list of social dependents would be significantly reduced.
A very bad experiment
In theory, the task of decree # 3 was to "bring out of the shadows" people who work unofficially, without paying taxes and social charges. However, the fact that “non-state” sociology is prohibited in Belarus has played a cruel joke on the country's leadership. The fact is that official sociologists named Alyaksandr Lukashenka a figure of 500 thousand people who do not participate in financing government spending. Their head of the country in his speeches began to publicly call them parasites, and soon he signed a decree providing for a special collection from such people.
According to the document, if a citizen does not work 183 days a year (and is not registered as unemployed), then he must pay a special fee - 360 Belarusian rubles ($ 185) for 2015 (until February 20, 2017). And another 420 rubles for 2016 (until November 15, 2017). The total is $ 400, which is higher than the average monthly salary in the country. In total, the tax department sent about 470 thousand notices to pay the fee.
That is, every tenth citizen of working age received a "letter of happiness".
However, the result was unexpected for the authorities: instead of money, they received massive civil disobedience. The overwhelming majority of tax evaders are not clandestine "guilds" at all, but residents of the provinces who work in dying factories, where they are employed one or two days a week and receive almost nothing. These people cannot find another job - it simply does not exist. Among the "parasites" were also mothers sitting at home with small children.
People also do not want to register as unemployed. The unemployment benefit in Belarus is $ 10 per month, is issued for a limited time only, and the unemployed person must still participate in unpaid public works.
As a result, by February 20 (the deadline for payment of the fee), despite the threat of fines and imprisonment, only 10% of those who received the notification paid the fee. On the other hand, protest actions of the "parasites" began: in February they took place in Minsk, Gomel, Vitebsk, Brest, Bobruisk and Baranovichi. The action in Minsk became the largest since the dramatic events of 2010. But the main thing is that people who had never before taken part in opposition rallies went into the street.
Even the recent increase in the retirement age did not cause such a painful reaction. Not only the authorities were not ready for such protests, but also the leaders of the opposition, who belatedly and largely unsuccessfully began to try to lead street actions.
The economy of "parasitism"
While citizens on the streets are outraged that the state is demanding money from the unemployed and mothers with small children, economists point to outright miscalculations in government. For example, against the backdrop of the crisis lasting since December 2014, Belarus loses 70 thousand jobs every year. But at the same time, enterprises who actually sit without work are often not fired by the local authorities, so as not to spoil the statistics.
Meanwhile, the number of paid services has grown so much that Belarus can no longer be called a "social state". Many benefits for schoolchildren, pensioners and "Chernobyl victims" have been canceled.
The prices in the country are such that everyone who can try to go for food and consumer goods to neighboring Lithuania and Poland, where everything is half the price. Weekend trips "for purchases" abroad in Belarus have become massive in recent years (in particular, Belarusians provide more than 40% of the turnover of Vilnius stores).
However, the main failure of the tax on parasites is that its administration turned out to be much more expensive than the amounts received in the budget. Since 90% of those who received the notification refuse to pay, officials have to deal with each case individually. As a result, the work of tax inspectorates, local executive committees, and, to a large extent, polyclinics was simply blocked, since doctors have to find out whether the "parasite" suffered from diseases that prevented him from working in 2015 and 2016.
In addition, it turned out that state databases on citizens of different departments do not fit together. Often, notifications were sent to the names of people who had died long ago or lived abroad.
"The state does not return money"
The Belarusian correspondent of Gazeta.Ru also received from the tax office a “letter of happiness for parasites” - a demand “to take part in financing government spending for 2015”. However, then everything was quite simple. It was necessary to get to, show the certificate of the correspondent of Gazeta.Ru in Belarus, and then send documents from the editorial office by e-mail. Two weeks later, a letter came back with an official notification that the claim for payment of the fee was "canceled."
This is the case with many Belarusians, who since November 2016 have also received demands to pay tax on parasites. It is enough to write a statement indicating almost any reason why he could not work in 2015 - and the requirement to pay the fee is canceled.
Probably, this is how the authorities are trying to reduce the intensity of mass protests - not canceling Decree No. 3 itself, but reducing the number of potential Protestants.
“The Belarusian authorities will not cancel the decree, but they will not demand payment of the tax for 2016. Since 2015, it is more difficult, since some of the people have already paid the tax. It will not be possible to simply take and cancel it retroactively - you will have to return the money to those “parasites” who have already paid the tax, ”the Belarusian politician, head of the civil campaign“ Our House ”Olga Karach told Gazeta.Ru. "And our state does not return money."
However, so far Lukashenka has promised the opposite. According to him, in 2017 the money will be returned to the "parasites" if they get a job. The funds already collected, meanwhile, will remain in the region and will go to schools and other childcare facilities.
“I have several acquaintances for whom there was a rather controversial situation, whether they should or should not pay this tax. It is so accepted in our country that the state interprets all doubts in its favor. But then something quite unusual happened: all doubts were interpreted in favor of the people, and they were freed from payments, "says the interlocutor of Gazeta.Ru.
“I think that even before the end of 2017, the tax on parasites will be quietly forgotten. No one will ask the tax office if he needs to pay something else, and she herself will not remind. It will be such an unspoken agreement between citizens and the state, which will allow the authorities to save face, ”Karach added.
The Russian authorities want to impose taxes on many categories of the population, including those who have no official income. The idea of introducing a tax on parasitism appeared several years ago, but so far these plans have not been implemented. It is possible that the law will enter into force in July 2019.
The deputies argue that this tax is not aimed at combating parasitism, but at ensuring that people who do not have official earnings take an active part in the social life of their country. In fact, they use many social services for free without making any contributions to the treasury.
At the moment, statistics show that the number of the non-working population in Russia is 16-18 million people. Many are confident that with the implementation of this law, this figure will significantly decrease.
The Constitution of Russia states that a person has the right to choose the type of activity, therefore, this law will not force people to go to work forcibly. Meanwhile, people who work unofficially will demand from their employer formal employment and higher wages to compensate for additional costs.
At the moment, it is difficult to say whether a tax on parasitism will be introduced in Russia next year, because many nuances remain unresolved.
The group of parasites includes that category of the population who do not have official earnings. Most of the population falls under the category that is given out wages in envelopes.
The following citizens are exempt from tax on parasitism:
- People of retirement age;
- Women raising children up to 7 years old;
- People who are caring for sick parents, children, or relatives;
- Pupils and Students;
- Minors;
- Disabled people and beneficiaries;
- Persons who are registered at the Employment Center.
At the moment, at the legislative level, there is no such thing as parasitism. It is not yet known by what criteria this category of people will be enrolled. Many believe that the reconciliation of citizens will take place in the tax service and the pension fund.
It is possible that this system will show its failures, as it was in the neighboring state. Ultimately, “letters of happiness” were received by those citizens who had official jobs and regularly paid royalties.
You should know
Not so long ago, information spread that the authorities want to take on the self-employed. This category includes people who provide any services, but do not pay taxes.
This issue is very controversial and has not yet been resolved. At first, the initiators of the law announced a figure of 25,000 rubles. per year, but after a while this figure was reduced to 20,000 rubles. year.
Some MPs have proposed to align the tax with the minimum wage. After that, there was a proposal that non-working citizens pay 30% of the minimum wage every month. So far, this amount is 3.5 thousand rubles.
The tax can only be waived by those who have good reasons for it. This includes the death of one of the spouses and a serious illness.
In turn, experts are against the introduction of this tax. They claim that this amount is very large for the population. By and large, the amount of tax should not be more than 8 thousand rubles.
Experts are confident that the lower the tax, the more chances that people will start paying the tax on time to the manufacturer. Otherwise, people will start looking for workarounds. In this case, the state will not only be unable to increase revenues, but also incur additional costs.
In order to avoid responsibility, people will start en masse at the labor exchange. This method will be the fastest and easiest in solving the problem, but in this case, the state will have to pay much more to non-working citizens.
