Monetization is ... The history of one of the most high-profile reforms

It seemed that the people would rise when a decision was made to reform the existing privileges of certain categories of unprotected strata of the population. Let's remember how it was, and what it led to today.

Monetization law: the main reasons for its adoption

Last year marked its tenth anniversary, probably one of the noisiest laws adopted by the State Duma of the Russian Federation. Monetization is something that only the lazy did not say. They canceled the benefits to many segments of the population, and it seemed that the welfare of pensioners would instantly fall several times in their indicators.

The law on the monetization of benefits was adopted in 2004 and predicted dramatic changes in the system of providing assistance to socially unprotected layers of the population. The concept was as follows:

• Minimal interference of officials in the processes of providing assistance to those who need it;
• Increase the well-being of the population by abolishing "empty promises" and compensating this reform in the form of cash notes;
• The monetization ratio should significantly increase, and the financial potential of the country will become more stable;
• Tariffs for utilities will become more accessible to all segments of the population;
• And most importantly - regional bodies will have their own powers, in which the federal sector of government does not interfere.

Real government proposals

Based on the results of the adopted Law on Monetization, citizens belonging to socially unprotected strata of the population were divided into two categories: those that are taken care of by regional authorities and those guarded by the feds.

At the expense of the latter, the expenses of heroes of Socialist Labor, the USSR, holders of the Order of Labor Glory, Chernobyl, as well as relatives and direct participants of the Great Patriotic War began to be financed. On the other took care of the regional authorities.

These citizens were deprived of benefits for free travel, medical support and others. However, in return, they received compensation (which ranges from 150 to 1500 Russian rubles), subsidies for utilities and other co-payments.

What are the difficulties of implementing the bill?

First of all, the coefficient of monetization in the early years did not increase as much as it was expected. This happened for the reason that the regional budget did not receive adequate funding from the state. Since monetization is a complex program, it was necessary to work on this issue several years before the introduction of the bill. Therefore, the implementation of the planned reform was not so smooth and cloudless, and in some regions there were still those who have privileges.

Waves of protest swept across the country. And the only reason for this is not enough comprehensive approach to the implementation of the bill. Moreover, the information base was so weak that the overwhelming majority of beneficiaries did not have the slightest idea of the amount of their own compensation.

Monetization of the economy: negative aspects

Undoubtedly, if we evaluate the project from the point of view of the state, then it is quite economically justified - why not? For the financial stability of the country, only for the benefit of reinforcing the money supply.

However, who will think about the main objects of the bill - directly beneficiaries? For them, monetization is the deprivation of that very confidence in the future. Protests took place not simply because of the harmfulness of pensioners and other representatives of vulnerable groups of the population. The amount of compensation is really so miserable that it is not even possible to cover travel expenses, let alone medical self-sufficiency.

In the first year of the law, a social survey was conducted. Only one third of respondents were confident that the reforms can indeed lead to positive results.

Positive sides

In the initial period of the introduction of the bill it was difficult to believe that among the unprotected layers of the population there is such a category of citizens for whom monetization is quite positive changes that have brought improvements in their well-being. Let's recollect those privileges who live in a countryside.

These people do not use public transport, so they do not need free transportation. And they do not need any benefits to install a city phone, because they do not have the opportunity to draw a line to their home. This category of citizens has received at least some increase to the pension, albeit insignificant. Therefore, for them, the monetization of benefits is not such a disastrous phenomenon.

As for city beneficiaries, they also did not get lost and suffer from innovations in the legislation. They began to claim their own disability, because this category has the highest compensation coefficient.

Ten years later: monetization today

After a considerable period of time, it should be said that the monetization of benefits was the right decision, but most experts note that the bill was not adopted on time. Ten years ago, the Russian economy was not ready for such reforms due to a significant budgetary insufficiency.

But now, as years of experience show, many of those categories of citizens who were put money instead of benefits, still chose the first. And this is important. Since, taking an active part in improving the economic situation of the country, our people show their consciousness for the good of the fatherland. It is important that people had ten years to understand a lot and get used, albeit to such painful, at first glance, change.