Ministry of Labour works out tools to collect tax for “social parasitism”

Belarus considers variants of collecting a tax from unemployed people.

“A topic of compensation for a part of the state's expenses on rendering social and other state-funded services to unemployed people of working age and their families is widely discussed in Belarus. Different variants of implementation are being considered,” minister of labour and social protection Miryanna Shchotkina said during an online conference, BelTA reports.

“This is a difficult issue that requires elaboration,” Maryanna Shchotkina noted. “A countrywide transparent mechanism of detecting the people who must compensate for the state's expenses on the social sector must be invented.”

We remind that the idea of introducing a tax on “social parasitism” is not a new one. Top officials raised this question several times. In particular, PM Mikhail Miasnikovich said in July at a meeting with executive officials of the Mahilou region that officially unemployed people should pay a special tax.

“About 445,000 people of working age do not work in Belarus. These people do not contribute to economy development, but use social benefits. The situation must be improved. One of the ways is imposing a tax on the unemployed,” the prime minister said.

Member of parliament Aliaksandr Yarashevich said earlier that the “house of representatives” could return to the problem of “social parasitism”.

“If there are people who can work but don't work and live at the cost of the rest of the society, we need to do something about it. We have plenty of examples of social parasitism,” the MP said.

Anatoly Tozik proposed to take measures last December.

“We have about 400,000 people who don't work or almost don't work avoiding taxes and sponging on the state's social policy,” the deputy prime minister said.

It's important to note that many Belarusian don't work officially and go abroad as seasonal workers, mostly as construction workers.