Kremlin not discussing issue of tax on freeloaders - Peskov
MOSCOW. Oct 21 (Interfax) - The Kremlin is not discussing the issue of introducing a so-called tax on freeloaders, Russian presidential press officer Dmitry Peskov said, responding to a request for comment on the words of Labor Minister Maxim Topilin, who has spoken in favor of establishing a tax on freeloaders at the initial stage at 20,000 rubles.
"There is no position [on this issue] in the Kremlin, this issue is not being discussed," Peskov said.
Topilin said earlier on Friday that the tax on 'freeloaders' can be set at 20,000 rubles for a start. "It seems to me that 20,000 is a good figure, it's even little," the minister said.
Explaining his calculations, the minister suggested operating on the assumption that "when a person works legally, when he pays personal income tax, for a year, if you calculate it on the basis of the minimum wage, the amount will be 11,700 rubles." "If a person is 'in the shadow', the contribution to the Mandatory Medical Insurance Fund is paid for him by the region of the Russian Federation. [The] average [figure] in the regions is 8,000-9,000. It makes a total of 20,000 a year, for a start," Topilin said.
The labor minister said the tax on non-working citizens should only be levied on people of an able-bodied age, adding that there is currently no clarity on when a relevant bill may appear.
For a start, it makes sense to find those people who have revenues, but "they are not paying anything, are not involved in anything," the minister said.