The document was published on Thursday, January 25, and immediately came into force. He abolished the tax on parasitism (officially a levy to finance government spending), but introduced another monetary punishment for those who do not want to work. From January 1, 2019, parasites will have to pay in full for some services that are subsidized by the state for others.

Komsomolskaya Pravda found answers to naive questions about the document.

Why is a new decree needed?

A year ago, Alexander Lukashenko suspended the decree on parasitism and ordered it to be finalized. Now officials emphasize: Decree No. 1 is not “working on mistakes,” but a fundamentally new document. His goal is to help everyone who wants one find a job.

The decree is aimed at maximizing assistance to citizens in finding employment, providing them with legal employment, and is based on the principle of social justice and the participation of all citizens in the life of society, said First Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Protection Andrei Lobovich at a press conference.

Now the state will determine every year which regions have the worst job situation. Additional money will be sent there for counseling the unemployed, retraining, organizing paid public works, and so on.

Monitoring the implementation of the requirements of the decree will be permanent commissions under the executive committees, which will include deputies, representatives of labor authorities, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, housing and communal services, and public organizations. These same commissions will resolve issues related to parasites: for example, to understand why people of working age do not work anywhere.

It turns out that the tax on parasitism has been abolished?

Yes. But those who do not work will still be punished with rubles.

Able-bodied citizens not employed in the economy will pay for services determined by the Council of Ministers at prices and tariffs that ensure full reimbursement of the economically justified costs of their provision, said Andrei Lobovich.

Simply put, parasites will have to pay in full for services that the state helps others pay for. Previously, parasites had to pay a fee to finance government spending, but now they will finance government spending directly. The difference is in the amount. The fee was fixed - 20 basic units (now it is 490 rubles). From 2019, everyone will have their own amount, which can be either more or less.

What will parasites pay in full?

It is still unknown; the Council of Ministers will determine the list by April 1. But among the services subsidized by the state are medicine, education, utilities, public transport...

During the discussion of the decree, it was only about housing and communal services, clarified Tamara Krasovskaya, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the House of Representatives on Labor and Social Issues.

Is this measure relevant, given that the government plans to achieve 100% payment for utilities for everyone?

This decision will be taken by the government alone. We will work in the regions, we will consult with people and see how this will work in practice. (...) Today it is difficult and premature to say what the list of services will be,” Tamara Krasovskaya answered.

If a non-working person and a working person live in an apartment, how will the non-working person pay for “his” full utilities?

There is no answer to this question yet. At the same time, officials assured that the mechanism of “difficult life situations” that appeared during the first decree will be preserved. That is, a person will be able to contact a commission under the executive committee and ask to be exempted from financing government expenses. And now his family members will also be able to do this. Apparently, in the minds of officials it looks something like this: a working wife of a non-working husband will be able to come to the commission, talk about their (or his) difficult life situation and ask for permission not to pay full utilities.

The application can be submitted by family members living with a citizen who does not participate in the economy. Mom will come and say: I have a social problem in the family, my son doesn’t want to work,” Tamara Krasovskaya gave an example. - This is another key point why commissions are created: not only to promote employment, but also to see in what situation the family lives. Determine why a person drinks, why he doesn’t work, and connect other organs. (...) For example, there are people who hide the fact that their mother or father suffers from serious cancer, and they have been caring for them for a whole year. Therefore, the commission will decide that the person finds himself in a difficult life situation.

How does a parasite know that he is a parasite?

Previously, notices of payment of the fee were sent by registered mail; more than 470 thousand such messages were sent out. Now what?

Citizens learn about this from local authorities. The task of local authorities is to reach everyone who potentially ends up on these lists and provide them with assistance and offer their services in employment,” said Andrei Lobovich.

Let us remember that in the previous decree, parasites were people who worked less than 183 days in a year. There were exceptions: pensioners, students, conscripts, maternity leave, those who live abroad, and so on. Who will now have to pay for the services in full will also be decided by April 1.

How will they identify those who can but do not want to work?

Like last time, the government wants to create a special database that will include all unemployed Belarusians of working age. It will be compiled in two stages. First - at the country level based on republican information sources (for example, data from the same Social Protection Fund). Then it will be filtered locally.

Last time the base, frankly speaking, was not a success. Thousands of people received notifications by mistake.

That is why we propose a two-level formation of these databases. Local authorities know the people who live on their territory and have more opportunities to reach each person and find out what they are doing. Only after working out on the ground will lists be formed and approved in order to eliminate the issues that did exist,” answered Andrei Lobovich.

Will unemployment benefits increase?

Currently, unemployment benefits cannot exceed 49 rubles (2 basic values). The government has repeatedly promised to increase it to at least the minimum subsistence level (currently 197 rubles 81 kopecks) or even introduce unemployment insurance. But in the new decree they decided not to touch benefits.

So far, these measures have been recognized as premature, and the government is not considering increasing the amount of unemployment benefits,” said Andrei Lobovich.

He ordered the suspension of Decree No. 3 - “On the Prevention of Social Dependency,” better known as the “law on parasites.” Throughout 2017, fines prescribed by this document will not be issued to Belarusian citizens.

“During March, if necessary, we need to adjust this decree. But the decree will not be canceled. First of all, tell the officials that it will be implemented with the adjustments that I mentioned,” the press service of the President of Belarus quotes Lukashenko’s words.

The politician also emphasized that the purpose of the law is not economic, but moral: to encourage the population to go to work.

“Control is with the governors and the mayor of Minsk. You should have these lists of slackers there who need to be forced to work. And honest people should not have been touched at all. We should not offend people, especially at this time,” Lukashenko said.

“And those who today, 200-500 people each, take to the streets and start shouting, these are not those parasites who are really parasites. These are mainly the people who are offended, to whom we sent these notices out of the blue,” added the Belarusian leader.

Mass street protests have been going on in Belarus since mid-February - 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, but people who have never participated 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 official Minsk. The document was initiated and signed by Alexander Lukashenko, and for him to back down publicly meant losing face. But at the same time, it was obvious that the wave of protests was growing, and, which is completely unusual for Belarus, it was spreading through provincial cities. For example, in Vitebsk, the protest 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 riots of 2010 that rocked the country after the presidential elections.

Until now, no one had dispersed the performances of the “parasites” - but then their participants en masse received summonses from the police and “24 hours” under administrative protocols. State television at the same time intimidated with 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 goal of Decree No. 3 was to “bring out of the shadows” people working unofficially, without paying taxes and social fees. However, the fact that “non-state” sociology is banned in Belarus has played a cruel joke on the country’s leadership. The fact is that official sociologists gave Alexander Lukashenko a figure of 500 thousand people who do not participate in financing government spending. The head of the country, in his speeches, began to publicly call them parasites, and soon 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 out about 470 thousand notices for payment of 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 mass civil disobedience. The vast majority of tax evaders are not underground “guild workers” at all, but residents of the provinces working in dying factories, where they are employed one or two days a week and receive almost nothing. These people cannot get another job - it simply doesn’t exist. Among the “parasites” were also mothers who stayed at home with small children.

People also do not want to register as unemployed. Unemployment benefits in Belarus are $10 per month, are issued only for a limited time, and the unemployed must still participate in unpaid public works.

As a result, by February 20 (the deadline for paying the fee), despite threats of fines and imprisonment, only 10% of those who received notices had paid the fee. But protests by “parasites” began: in February they took place in Minsk, Gomel, Vitebsk, Brest, Bobruisk and Baranovichi. The rally in Minsk became the largest since the dramatic events of 2010. But the main thing is that people who have never before participated in opposition actions took to the streets.

Even the recent increase in the retirement age did not cause such a painful reaction. Not only the authorities were unprepared for such protests, but also the opposition leaders, who belatedly and largely unsuccessfully began trying to lead street actions.

Economics 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 blatant failures in government administration. For example, against the backdrop of the crisis that has lasted since December 2014, Belarus is losing 70 thousand jobs every year. But at the same time, enterprises often do not fire people who are actually unemployed—local authorities prohibit them from doing so, 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 cancelled.

Prices in the country are such that everyone who can tries to go for food and consumer goods to neighboring Lithuania and Poland, where everything is half the price. Weekend trips to “purchase” abroad in Belarus have become widespread 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 into the budget. Since 90% of those notified 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, clinics was simply blocked, since doctors had to find out whether the “parasite” suffered from diseases that did not allow him to work in 2015 and 2016.

In addition, it turned out that government databases on citizens of different departments do not fit with each other. Often notifications came in the names of people who had died long ago or were living abroad.

“The state does not return the money”

The Belarusian correspondent of Gazeta.Ru also received from the tax office a “letter of happiness for parasites” - a requirement to “take part in financing government spending for 2015.” However, then everything was quite simple. It was necessary to get to , show the ID 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 demand for payment of the fee was “cancelled.”

This is happening to many Belarusians, who, since November 2016, have also received demands to pay the tax on parasites. It is enough to write a statement indicating almost any reason why you could not work in 2015, and the requirement to pay the fee will be canceled.

This is probably how the authorities are trying to reduce the intensity of mass protests - not by canceling Decree No. 3 itself, but by reducing the number of potential Protestants.

“The Belarusian authorities will not cancel the decree, but they will not demand payment of tax for 2016. It’s more difficult in 2015, since some people have already paid the tax. Simply canceling it retroactively won’t work - you’ll have to return the money to those “parasites” who have already paid the tax,” Olga Karach, a Belarusian politician and head of the Our Home civil campaign, told Gazeta.Ru. “But our state does not return the money.”

However, for now Lukashenko promises the opposite. According to him, in 2017, “parasites” will get their money back if they get a job. The funds already collected, meanwhile, will remain in the area and go to schools and other children's institutions.

“I have several friends who had a rather controversial situation about whether they should or should not pay this tax. It is customary in our country that the state interprets all doubts in its favor. But then something completely unusual happened: all doubts were interpreted in people’s favor, and they were exempted from payments,” says Gazeta.Ru’s interlocutor.

“I think that 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 anything else, and she herself will not remind. This will be an unspoken agreement between citizens and the state that will allow the authorities to save face,” Karach added.

On Thursday evening, the presidential press service reported that Alexander Lukashenko. Its essence, according to Labor Minister Irina Kostevich, is to promote the employment of citizens. In fact, the decree abolishes the well-known “tax on parasitism.” But the sad news is that they still have to pay. Will this amount be less than the tax amount?

What happened?

There was Decree No. 3 “On the Prevention of Social Dependency.” According to this decree, persons who worked less than 183 days a year had to pay a kind of “tax on parasitism,” or, as officials called it, a “levy to finance government spending.” It amounted to 20 basic units (at that time 360 ​​rubles). The Ministry of Taxes and Duties has calculated that there are 440 thousand “parasites” in the country. True, only 10% of all paid the fee. The rest stubbornly resisted, held rallies, sued and were indignant.

In March last year, the president announced that the decree was postponed for a year, “parasites” were allowed not to pay the tax for now, but the tax itself was not cancelled. The President ordered the development of amendments to the decree. A special commission was created, the Ministry of Labor made amendments - the list of “parasites” was shortened. The president asked that “power and leverage” be transferred to local authorities to resolve the situation. The discussion continued until the fall of last year, and in October the updated decree No. 3 was already presented to the president. The text of the updated document was not shown to the public. The main ideas that came from officials: there will be no abolition of the fee, it is necessary to force those who can, but do not want to work, “parasites”, will have to pay 100% of “those costs that are currently subsidized by the state.” It also became known then that the decree would change its name and become a decree “On Promoting Employment.”

Last December, Deputy Prime Minister Vasily Zharko announced that the updated decree No. 3 would come into force on January 1, 2019. And on January 25, it became known that the president had already signed decree No. 1 with the title “On Promoting Employment.”

What will happen now?

As Labor Minister Irina Kostevich explained to BELTA, the decree provides that able-bodied Belarusians who are not employed in the economy will pay for services at prices that ensure full reimbursement of the economically justified costs of their provision. The norm comes into force on January 1 next year.

- Thus, a person has almost a year to determine his status and, if desired, change it,- the minister added.

So, decree No. 3 was canceled after all?

In essence, the new decree exempts “parasites” from paying fees to finance government spending. It is unknown whether the old norm that those who worked less than 183 days a year are considered “parasites” remains. At least for now, the presidential press service has not announced that it has been cancelled.

What services will the “parasites” pay for?

The government must determine the list of services and payment procedure by April 1 of this year. It is still unclear whether parasites will pay for the costs of the police, officials, military and other expenses for which taxpayers' money is spent.

How will they determine who should pay and who should not?

According to the Minister of Labor, certain databases of working-age citizens who are not employed in the economy will be formed. They will be formed by the government. They must determine the list of categories of citizens within a month.

- In the near future, the government will determine the procedure for forming and maintaining the base. It is assumed that the formation mechanism will be two-level. At the first stage, a main database will be formed at the republican level based on republican information resources. The second stage, local level - adjustment of the basic base by local authorities taking into account their available information resources and other information.

- Information from the database will be used locally, primarily to assist unemployed citizens in finding employment. Based on the results of this work, local authorities will decide on the provision of services to a specific person with reimbursement of costs, Kostevich noted.

Let us remember that last year the Ministry of Labor proposed introducing ID cards for everyone in order to accurately track whether a person is working or not.

So do parasites now benefit more or not?

It all depends on what services the government will include in the list and by what criteria it will be considered. For comparison, only medical expenses in Minsk for 2018 are planned at 400 rubles per person. If the government decides to start from this amount, then only paying for this one item will be comparable to the “tax on parasitism” (20 basic at the moment is 490 rubles). If we add 100% payment for utilities and public transport, the amount will be much higher.

I drive my own car, go to private medical centers and for utilities, and so I pay 100% - will it be possible to deduct all this?

While there is no information about how payment for services for “parasites” will be calculated, this question remains open.

Why is it needed at all, this decree?

The Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Population says that the decree is intended to promote employment of the population.

- First of all, I want to note that in the republic there is a certain category of able-bodied citizens who do not work and are not interested in finding work. Perhaps some of them are citizens engaged in shadow business. Therefore, it is necessary to create conditions under which the citizen himself will be interested in employment,- explains the Minister of Labor. - In addition to general economic measures, it is necessary to focus efforts on providing assistance to each person in finding employment.

Therefore, the decree entrusted local authorities with responsibilities for implementing specific measures to ensure employment of the population, including job creation, assistance in employment, retraining, and provision of temporary work. Their performance at all levels will be assessed quarterly.

At the same time, the decree determined that implementing an effective policy to promote employment of the population, stimulating employment and self-employment, supporting entrepreneurial initiatives, and ensuring the legalization of labor activities will become one of the main indicators of the effectiveness of the work of heads of local executive and administrative bodies.

The decree provides for the creation of commissions under local authorities, which will include deputies of all levels, specialists, representatives of housing and communal services, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and may also include representatives of public associations. These commissions are assigned primary responsibility for local work. They will be required to provide an individual approach to everyone who seeks help or finds themselves in a difficult situation. Practice has shown that we need to work more actively, offer our employment services more persistently, and take initiative.

It became known that the President of Belarus January 25, 2018 signed Decree No. 1“To promote employment”, which completely changes the previously existing act of legislation.

So, the new decree is actually cancels previously in force Presidential Decree No. 3.

The main change is that, in accordance with the new Decree will not be charged from able-bodied non-working citizens a levy to finance government spending.

Persons who were previously recognized as payers of this fee are exempt from paying it.

However, with January 1, 2019 year, persons previously recognized as “parasites” will pay for state-subsidized services for their 100% cost.

Attention!

According to the resolution of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus No. 314 dated April 24, 2018 able-bodied citizens, not employed in the economy, pay the cost of utilities that correspond full refund state costs for the provision of such services, namely:

• hot water supply
• heat supply
• gas supply (if there are individual gas heating appliances)

It is also indicated that commissions will be created that will provide the most individual approach to each citizen.

The commissions will be designed to assist in the employment of unemployed citizens.

The work of specially created commissions will be aimed at:

• job creation
• assistance in employment
• temporary work presentation
• retraining

In fact, the part of the article that goes below this one is leveled due to the surprise of the President signing Decree No. 1.

Decree No. 3

In January 2017, the Decree of the President of the Republic of Belarus dated January 12, 2017 “On amending the Decree of the President of the Republic of Belarus No. 3” was issued. It amended Presidential Decree No. 3 “On the Prevention of Social Dependency.” The head of state explained that he will not collect the fee for 2016 from those persons who must pay, and those who paid will not pay for 2017, provided that they are employed at work. This decree will not be cancelled, but it will be worked on in connection with numerous complaints from citizens.

Who needs to pay the fee?

Those who have not worked for more than a year need to be paid. 183 days. Only those who are included in the list of persons, which was recently supplemented by a new decree, do not pay:

• athletes of the national teams of Belarus
• students receiving full-time education for the first time
• Individual entrepreneurs who have paid taxes of more than 20 basic amounts established as of January 1 of the corresponding tax period
• seriously ill patients
• people of creative professions who have confirmed membership in the creative union
• representatives of church organizations
• officially registered unemployed
• one of the parents raising a child aged 3 to 7 years who does not receive preschool education
• military personnel
• and others (see full list)

Thus, the state is fighting against those who do not work at all or work “unofficially.”

If you worked less than 183 days a year?

If you worked less than 183 days a year, but paid taxes on 20 or more basic values ​​(the basic value is calculated as of January 1 of the year for which you pay the fee), then you do not fall under Decree No. 3. However, if taxes were paid less than 20 basic units for the year, then you only pay the difference between 20 basic units and the actual amount you paid.

Excessively paid (collected) amounts of fees are subject to refund or offset in the manner prescribed by tax legislation.

I'm working, but I still receive a payment notice

As we remember, for 2015, many people received tax payment notices. Don't be alarmed, this is a mistake by the tax authority. In this case, if you actually worked, then it is enough to take a certificate from your place of work, which certifies the fact of your employment in this organization (company). Next, go to the tax authority that sent you the notice and they will cancel it for you.

No money for tax

In accordance with Presidential Decree No. 3, Local Councils of Deputies or local executive and administrative bodies have the right to exempt from paying fees due to being in a difficult life situation. This situation is understood as an objective circumstance or a set of circumstances that does not depend on the citizen, and he cannot overcome it using available means (for example, the death of a spouse, inability to self-care).
Important!

Failure to pay taxes or evasion of non-payment may result in a fine, arrest, or being sent to forced labor.

Has the law affected unemployment?

In general, the number of unemployed in 2017 decreased compared to 2016. Unemployment was 0.6%, and in 2016-0.8%. Also, the demand for labor has increased, citizens began to more often contact labor, employment and social protection authorities. The number of unemployed by gender is dominated by men. Statistics are moving towards decreasing unemployment every year.

Want to find a job? See vacancies in Minsk at the link:

Demographics and geography

A total of 9.5 million people live in six regions of Belarus, of which 7.4 million are city dwellers. The working population is 5.5 million, but Belstat counted one million fewer economically active citizens. More than a quarter of Belarusians are pensioners. The average life expectancy for men is 67 years, for women 79 years.

Social support through fines?

From the 2017 budget, more than $900 million (11% of expenditures) will be allocated for social support of the population - assistance to families with children, assistance in providing housing, payment of pensions and support for youth. This is more than last year. Almost the same amount - 13.7% of the total volume - is planned to be allocated to the budget revenues through fines.

How Belarusians live: numbers and facts

Salary of 500 dollars: “Steal, find, dig up!”

The average salary reached $400 by 2017, but its purchasing power fell by 4.5% over the year. By February, Alexander Lukashenko promised the country's residents a salary of $500, threatening to fire ministers for failure to comply with his instructions. Belarusians already received this much in 2014 and 2010 before the presidential elections, but the economic crisis then “ate up” a third of the dollar equivalent.

How Belarusians live: numbers and facts

Who earns how much

The highest average salary is for Belarusians employed in the field of IT technologies: up to $1,750. For air transport workers, financiers and members of parliament - up to 1.3 thousand dollars. Health care and education workers receive between $270 and $320. Rural workers (about $250) and library workers ($220) receive the least.

How Belarusians live: numbers and facts

Poverty is not a vice?

Only 13% of the population of Belarus have an average monthly per capita income of $300 or more. 6% of residents have incomes below the subsistence level, that is, less than $87. More than 4% of households are considered low-income.

How Belarusians live: numbers and facts

New jobs and unemployment

In 2016, 100 thousand more people were fired in Belarus than hired. 45 thousand unemployed are registered at the labor exchange - 1% of the economically active population. Unemployment benefits are equivalent to $13. The authorities promise to create 50 thousand jobs, but independent economists consider this task impossible without reforms and improving conditions for business.

How Belarusians live: numbers and facts

How to survive for pensioners

The most socially vulnerable category of the population is pensioners. The average old-age pension is about $150. However, most older people receive no more than $120 a month. In 2016, the Belarusian authorities decided to increase the retirement age by 6 months annually. By 2022, it will gradually increase from 55 to 58 years for women and from 60 to 63 years for men.

How Belarusians live: numbers and facts

Increase in the cost of housing and communal services

On January 1, the cost of utilities for a family of three living in a two-room apartment reached $40, exceeding the $5 annual increase limit set by the authorities. An increase in housing and communal services tariffs is one of the IMF conditions for issuing a $3 billion loan to Minsk. By the end of 2017, Belarusians will reimburse 75% of housing and communal services costs, and by the end of 2018 - 100%.

How Belarusians live: numbers and facts

Leader in price growth

Belarus is in first place in terms of price growth in the post-Soviet space in 2016. After the redenomination carried out on July 1 and removing four zeros from the Belarusian rubles, prices for non-food products increased by an average of 10%, and for some food products and services - by 20-30%.