Pensions for working pensioners and other payments will be cut in Ukraine
Kyiv, March 06 (Navigator, Denis Andreev) – The Kiev Cabinet of Ministers has developed a plan of measures for the implementation of its program, writes the Kommersant-Ukraine newspaper.
The document is striking in its scale - seven global goals are written out on 46 pages; to achieve some of them, officials will need to complete 50-70 tasks by the end of May.
Subscribe to Navigator Kyiv news >>>
The plan is united by the idea of sequestering the state budget. Accordingly, it is replete with various cuts and cancellations.
In particular, many social expenses will go under the knife. Already in March, they may limit the payment of pensions to working pensioners - they will begin to receive only 50% of the assigned pension payments, but not less than the minimum age pension.
It is also planned to cancel a one-time payment in the amount of 10 minimum wages and the provision of housing to a young specialist who has agreed to work in rural areas.
As part of reducing state budget expenditures, the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine also proposes to completely abandon a number of humanitarian programs. For example, from the Open World program to equip schools with tablet computers and multimedia classrooms until 2015. In addition, it was proposed to abandon funding for the program to equip all Ukrainian schools with the Internet until 2015.
The government plans to abolish the creation of medical districts, which group hospitals by type of care, as part of medical reform. At the same time, it was proposed to reduce 20% allowances for ambulance workers.
Innovations will also affect the cultural sphere. In particular, it is proposed, starting in May, to reduce state support for theaters and circuses and gradually transfer them to self-financing, to carry out an inventory of cultural heritage monuments for “a stage-by-stage transfer of them to concession.” In addition, from May it is planned to introduce a 20% tax on the cost of a cinema ticket and a tour tax of 1% to 5% of the sold-out price of the hall.
It is expected that in general, all measures to reduce budget expenditures should save up to 65-80 billion hryvnia.
Ukraine will cut pensions for working pensioners and other benefits.