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Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has forwarded the question about the possibility of introducing a so-called 'social parasitism tax' in Russia to the government.
"Rather, it is the government's prerogative. But no common position on this issue has been formulated. No decisions have been made on that score," Peskov told reporters on May 12.
The Kremlin spokesman said this when commenting on discussions of the issue of introducing the so-called 'social parasitism tax'.
A number of media outlets reported that the Russian Labor Ministry is discussing the advisability of introducing a tax for unemployed persons who are not officially registered. The ministry has referred to Belarus's experience in this issue.
It is not the first time Russian officials have addressed this topic.
In May 2015, Federal Service for Labor and Employment (Rostrud) deputy head Mikhail Ivankov spoke of the possibility of introducing such a measure. According to Ivankov, this 'social payment' will be charged on citizens above 18 years old who have no official employment, are not registered as unemployed persons and do not belong to any category of welfare beneficiaries. Rostrud said then that this measure would help crack down on illegal employment.
For his part, Labor and Social Protection Minister Maxim Topilin said that a 'social parasitism' tax would not be introduced in Russia. However, there is a need to determine such citizens' social responsibility and their fees to insurance funds, Topilin said.
