Lukashenka recalled citizen that they have arms and legs to work and pay taxes

According to the head of the state around 500 thousand citizens in Belarus do not have official employment, do not pay taxes, but use social goods.

The employment-related issues should be dealt with right away, Belarusian President Aliaksandr Lukashenka said at a meeting to discuss the employment promotion decree on 13 January, BelTA has learned.

Aliaksandr Lukashenka recalled that in October 2014 he had instructed the government and the Belarus President Administration to work out practical measures to involve jobless people into work and to deprive the so-called idlers of benefits and allowances. A number of decisions have already been made to fulfill this instruction. For example, the minimum service record needed to claim old age pensions and retirement pensions in Belarus has been increased from 10 to 15 years. The service record will have a bigger impact on the size of pensions, BelTA writes.

“However, even if these measures are able to increase the workforce numbers, this will happen only in the long-term perspective. We should not postpone the work to ensure efficient employment,” Aliaksandr Lukashenka stated.
According to the head of state, about 500,000 able-bodied people in Belarus are not officially employed.

“Therefore, the government has the right to ask them: at whose cost will you live? These people should work, pay taxes and live at their own expense. Welfare mentality is unacceptable,” the Belarusian leader said.

Aliaksandr Lukashenka stated that the draft decree is targeted, first of all, against people who do not pay taxes to the budget.

“Maybe, they work somewhere, but not for the state. Therefore, in the focus are tax evaders. These are scroungers who do nothing, work nowhere and maybe even violate the law. These are also drunkards lying on the sidewalk and those who forgot that they have legs and arms to come to work and do something and pay taxes to the state,” the President said. The head of state emphasized the need to analyze whether the draft decree will be efficient enough to prevent welfare mentality and how the efforts aimed to combat parasitism and other social ills will be implemented in practice.

After the discussion, Aliaksandr Lukashenka ordered to fine-tune the draft decree within a month.