Rich or poor?
How much will Belarusians making $500 a month have to pay for communal services?
President Alyaksandr Lukashenka has claimed that the rich could pay 120-150% for communal services and the poor - 25-30%.
Euroradio has decided to find out whether Belarusians making 500 dollars a month are considered rich.
We phoned Minsk housing and communal services centres first.
“You may have to bring a reference about your wages and collect documents. Poor families will be granted subsidies," replied housing and communal services centres #13, 20, 27 and 38.
Nobody knows where you should bring the reference and how Belarusians are going to be divided into categories. Even BelTA notes that "the system of income calculation will require a lot of budget expenses."
So, who is rich and who is poor? I asked the Ministry of Labour whether I was rich if I made 500 dollars a month:
“Somebody makes 30 millions and thinks that it is not enough and somebody thinks that 300 dollars is okay. I do not even know whether I am rich or poor!"
The secretary of the Ministry of Communal Services got nervous when asked about 500-dollar wages:
“You will do what they say! It is still being discussed!" the secretary lost temper and put the phone down.
By the way, the state leader used to say that guest workers should pay 100% for the communal services. Yet, it ended in talk.
