The living wage in Belarus today and the main social benefits

The concept of "minimum subsistence level" in Belarus is provided by the Law "On the amount of the subsistence minimum in the Republic of Belarus" dated May 7, 2014. This normative act is also a legal basis for determining the cost of the consumer basket.

What is the cost of living? And how it is calculated

The budget of the subsistence minimum is the amount that is necessary to maintain the full functioning of the human body. The money amount is sufficient to purchase a minimum list of food, non-food items and a set of services.

The indicator is calculated on the basis of sociological surveys, it is set at the level of incomes that have 10-20% of the poorest population or comes from the ability of the economy to provide social benefits (that is, the maximum subsistence minimum that the economy of a particular state can provide).

What is the cost of living in Belarus?

The living wage in Belarus for today is determined by the current legislation, which came into force on November 1, 2016. Its value is 174.52 Belarusian rubles and corresponds to 1 745 200 on the old exchange rate - before the monetary reform in Belarus. The amount was reduced in comparison with the previous period by 98 kopecks, which in percentage terms was 0.6%.

This year the size of the subsistence minimum has been increased four times, but the last decrease was registered in the autumn of the previous year. The present value of the minimum consumer basket will remain unchanged until the end of January next year.

What is the minimum level of income for the population?

The planning of the minimum income level of the population, necessary to ensure normal life, is required to summarize the welfare of all social strata of the population of the state.

The definition of the amount of the subsistence minimum budget is used in the future for accrual:

• Certain categories of benefits;

• State aid to low-income families;

• Minimum wages and social benefits;

• Money for seniority.

The subsistence minimum in Belarus today is a criterion for indexing the incomes of citizens. It is the main indicator in the establishment of benefits and targeted assistance. In addition, the amount of the subsistence minimum and the comparison of the value with the real incomes of citizens determine those segments of the population who need social support.

What indicators will affect the last decrease in the subsistence minimum

As it was said above, the subsistence level in Belarus today affects many social payments. However, according to Presidential Decree No. 726 "On the calculation of social payments", the size of the budget for the last 2 quarters, which was the highest, will be taken as the basis for assigning the amounts of these sums. Thus, the Ministry of Labor of the Republic of Belarus officially declared that citizens should not be worried, since a decrease in the value of the consumer basket will not affect payments calculated from its size.

Subsistence level in Belarus and payments for various categories of the population

Each state develops its own program for calculating minimum payments, depending on the level of economic development. However, there are proposals to make this amount equal for all countries. But the proposal was rejected for a number of objective reasons.

One of the reasons for the refusal of the world economies to equalize the subsistence level was, for example, the need to provide the population with warmth in the winter. In countries with a hot climate, this does not make sense, whereas in the northern powers a significant amount is spent on heating.

The living wage in Belarus today amounts to such amounts for different categories of citizens:

• Children under the age of 3 years - 111 rubles 99 kopecks;

• Children aged 3 to 6 years - 154 rubles 97 kopecks;

• Children aged 6 to 18 years - 191 rubles;

• Students - 169 rubles 72 kopecks;

• Citizens of working age - 193 rubles 14 kopecks;

• Citizens of retirement age - 134 rubles 41 kopecks.

From the value of the consumer basket with the least necessary list of food products, social charges are also calculated for the basic needy strata of society, that is, payments to large families, disabled children, disabled citizens, the poor, and so on.