“Tax on social parasites” to be compensated by housewives?

Belarus has around 123,000 housewives.

If each of them pays 20 base amounts, it will give a total of 400,000-450,000 billion rubles that the state plans to get.

The new decree on promoting employment that imposes a tax on “spongers” was introduced to the dictator two times, but was sent back for revision, Aliaksandr Lukashenka said at a press conference on January 29. The document may be ready this month, Euroradio reports.

The tax on spongers will look like contributing to the financing of the state's expenses in accordance with the Constitution (financing the army, roads, healthcare, etc). Those hit by the tax will have to pay 20 base amounts a year.

Journalists studied the remarks by officials about the new law and tried to make a general portrait of a sponger.

According to the minister of labour Maryanna Shchotkina, 50,000 people in Belarus do not want to work at all. About 200,000 want to find a job but have been unemployed for more than 6 months. These people sponge off other citizens who pay taxes and contribute to the financing of the state's expenses.

“On the one hand, they are asocial people. On the other hand, they are a sort of social leeches, illegal businessmen and those receiving wages under the table and don't pay taxes in full,” tax minister Siarhei Nalivayka said in the middle of January.

Deputy minister of finance Dzmitry Kiyko noted earlier that “non-residents (those spending less than 183 days in the country) will not have to pay the tax”.

So, the tax won't hit those working or living abroad. Families with many children and families with small children are going to be exempt from the tax, but there's no exact information so far.

“We won't give unnecessary privileges. We'll try to find an in-between approach,” Lukashenka said during the press conference. “Disabled people and others will have privileges, we will support them. But all supposed to work will work. No one will stay at home until their children are 14 or 7. Most mothers send their children to kindergarten before they are three years old, but stay at home and don't work.”

The official maternity leave will save parents from giving them the “sponger” status, but housewives are likely to lose the privilege if the child is older than 3 years old.

“If the husband earns enough and his wife can afford not to work, 20 base amounts is not big money to pay,” minister of labour Maryanna Shchotkina said.

According to the labour minister, there are 123,000 housewives in the country. It was reported earlier that the tax on “social parasitism” will allow collecting additional 400,000-450,000 billion rubles for the budget. If 123,000 housewives pay 20 base amounts each (3.6 million rubles today), the state budget will get 442 billion and 800 million! Maybe it was the initial plan to obtain additional money from husbands who earn enough and whose wives can afford not to work.