Methodological club in the hands of the plutocracy

 Rich poor
 - 05/28/12 20:27 -
TEXT: Rustem Falyakhov
 The number of poor in Russia could be reduced without increasing their income. Ministry of Finance proposes to count cost of living, taking into account the effect of economies of obschesemeynogo consumption: a refrigerator, for example, enjoyed by all family members. This approach will enable the authorities to save money on social spending, experts believe.
Ministry of Finance proposed a new approach to the determination of the minimum subsistence level and, consequently, poverty. The proposals formulated by the Ministry on behalf of the Deputy Prime Minister Vladislav Surkov and described in a letter to Deputy Finance Minister Tatyana Nesterenko in the government, which cites the "Interfax".
Home Finance innovation - the introduction of the so-called social poverty. He was, according to the ministry, should be set based on the concept of "absolute poverty". It is expressedthe inability of citizens to meet basic needs for food, clothing and housing.

Now the poverty threshold is determined by the State Statistics Service, based on cost of living - the amount of funds required to acquire the necessary human set of goods and services. If a citizen does not make such a "basket", he's poor.
Social poverty level may be "significantly below" the current cost of living, taking into account economies of obschesemeynogo consumption, according to the Ministry of Finance.
For example, a refrigerator or TV uses each family member, therefore, included in the consumer basket for each family member do not need these items.
That is, the larger the family, the richer will be its members with the same level of income.
The subsistence minimum of a citizen of working age in 2011 was 7084 rubles. Pensioner - 5182 rubles. Minor - 6342 rubles.
If we introduce a new technique, which provides the Finance Ministry, the cost of living can "get better" about 20%, says analyst with the Center for Macroeconomic Analysis and Forecasting, Igor Polyakov. "Most of the parameters potrebkorziny individual, such as clothing, footwear, food products, but obschesemeynym consumption are considered payments for public utilities and goods of cultural and community areas - TV, fridge, iron," - said Polyakov.
By obschesemeynomu consumption is quite possible to include some items of clothing and hygiene, ironically partner FBK Igor Nikolaev:
"The family, for example, three people might well take turns wearing a hat and to bathe in the same soap and water and cook for three eggs at once, rather than a consumer. So that the mechanisms of economy, to the delight of the Ministry of Finance, there are. "
Implementation of the Ministry of Finance proposal would reduce the official poverty level in the country. The task of poverty reduction has been named President Vladimir Putin among the priorities in 2003 to address the Federal Assembly. A year later, in March 2004, she was made concrete: it is necessary to achieve poverty reduction to 10-12% by 2007. In 2003 in Russia, 22.7% of citizens live below the poverty line in 2007 - 13.3%.
The goal is not achieved until now: in 2011 the number of Russian citizens living in poverty rose to 18.1 million from 17.9 million in 2010. As a result, the poverty rate increased to 12.8% from 12.6% in 2010. This year, the Ministry of Economic Development expects to reduce poverty to 12.7% in 2013 - again, rising to 12.8%. In 2014 it is planned to decline to 12.5%.
According to the calculations of Nikolaev, a new mechanism for counting the poor can reduce their numbers by about 15%, or about 3 million people. "These are not figures that the Ministry of Finance of interest, therefore, offers no improvement in the main office of statistics on the number of the poor, and budget savings", - says Nikolay.
Go to the subsistence minimum is now tied the minimum wage, pensions, scholarships and various allowances.
Levels of poverty should be several, according to the Ministry of Finance. Then we can effectively provide social assistance to the Russians. Social policy, according to Nesterenko, must be determined on the basis of the combined approach to the definition of subsistence, as is done in developed countries. Basic methods for determining the poverty line in the world, there are two. For statistical method, the boundary is defined by the poverty income people with average incomes of poor people - is the relative level of poverty. According to the standard method, which is used in Russia, the revenues relate to the subsistence level. This is the absolute poverty level.
In countries that are actively trying to eliminate poverty, a combination of different methods. In the U.S., for example, the official poverty line two: statistical, it is usually used for country comparisons, and social, which is used to identify target groups of beneficiaries. At the same social boundary, for which benefits are paid, has 48 degrees of differentiation and is dependent on how many people in the family applying for aid, what is their age, if any of them disabled and war veterans, indicates Nesterenko.
But it is necessary to take into account that the minimum subsistence level in Russia now involves physical survival and does not allow an extended stay at the level of consumption and reproduction, the partner says BDO in Russia Elena Khromov. And in some regions even allows you to pay utility bills - for example, in Siberia, utility payments above the minimum subsistence level.
Therefore, the outcome of the reform could be an actual increase in poverty Russians.
Potrebkorzina, which tracks the Federal State Statistics Service to determine the cost of living is far from the real needs of citizens, experts remind. "A simple example. Per capita consumption of meat in the past year was 61 kg, and in the "basket" is specified in the rate of 35 kg. It is clear that the norm for the poor can not reach the line of per capita consumption, but to be lower by nearly a factor of 2 is also wrong, "- said Polyakov.