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- Comfort at half price: the State Duma proposed to establish a discount on housing and utility bills for large families
Comfort at half price: the State Duma proposed to establish a discount on housing and utility bills for large families
The State Duma proposes to establish a 50% discount on housing and utility bills for families with many children. They want to provide compensation for capital repair contributions in a similar amount. Parliamentarians intend to extend the measures to all regions of Russia. It is expected that the initiative will have a positive impact on the demographic situation in the country and will provide substantial support to large families. However, the effectiveness of the impact of this rule on the low birth rate seems doubtful, experts say. Why do you need a new benefit - in the material "Izvestia".
Equalize rights
In the State Duma thought about providing large families with a 50% discount on housing and communal services. Such an initiative was put forward by Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Construction and Housing Sergei Kolunov. The measure also provides for compensation in the amount of half of capital repair fees. The new rules want to extend to all Russian regions.
"Today, large families are entitled to preferential rates when paying for utilities - the minimum discount established by federal legislation is 30%. At the same time, the regions can increase the discount, in addition, they have the right to provide benefits for payment of other services," - "RIA Novosti" quotes the words of the parliamentarian.
In Moscow and the Vologda region, for example, compensation for contributions for capital repair is set at 50%.
"As a result, it turns out that in some regions of Russia the discount for housing and communal services is minimal, in others - the maximum. In my opinion, a unified federal approach is needed in this matter," said Kolunov.
The parliamentarian believes that this initiative will have a positive impact on the demographic situation in the country and will provide significant support to large families.
At the same time, the new norm should provide for protection against fraud. For this purpose, according to the deputy, it is important to establish a rule according to which the discount on payment of housing and utility services will be valid only at the place of residence registration of family members.
"Where the family lives, there the discount exists. There should be no investment schemes with several apartments and discounted housing and utility bills in each," Kolunov is convinced.
Adoption of the initiative could potentially create an additional burden on the budget. To overcome this problem, it makes sense to apply a differentiated discount scale, determining the size of the discount depending on the number of children.
Reasonable assistance
The proposed discount and compensation will be an additional financial support for large families, says Nikita Chaplin, a member of the State Duma Committee on Budget and Taxes. This is especially important for families with low income.
- Housing and communal services constitute a significant part of the family budget, and the reduction of these expenses will allow to redistribute funds for other needs, for example, for education, health care or children's leisure, - says the deputy.
In general, the initiative of the State Duma can only be welcomed, convinced the president of the self-regulatory organization of property managers "Sovladeniye" Alexander Pavlenko. However, it is important to take into account that the effect of the discount will depend on the size of the payment of housing and utility services in the region and family income, Chaplin specifies.
- On average, the cost of housing and utilities is about 5 thousand rubles, and for a large living space - 10 thousand rubles. Savings of Br2.5-5 thousand per month is an additional resource for the family, - says Pavlenko.
But in reality, the situation will not change too much. At the moment, large families are already granted a 30% benefit, recalls Olga Shinkareva, candidate of economic sciences, associate professor of the Department of Economics and Management of the Institute of Economics, Management and Law of the State Educational Institution of Higher Professional Education of Moscow State Pedagogical University. For an average utility payment of Br5.5 thousand, the benefit of increasing the discount by 20% will amount to Br1.1 thousand, which is not a serious amount, the expert points out.
Questionable effect
The introduction of a unified federal approach to providing large families with a discount on housing and utility bills and compensation for capital repair fees has good intentions, but to talk about a significant impact of this measure on the demographic situation in Russia would be an exaggeration, Nikita Chaplin is convinced. Demography is a complex process that depends on many factors, including economic stability, access to education and healthcare, confidence in the future, as well as moral and cultural values.
- The discount on housing and utility bills, while a nice bonus, is unlikely to be a decisive argument for couples when planning a family. Rather, it will have some positive impact on the general welfare of families with many children, but we should not expect a sharp jump in the birth rate solely due to this benefit," believes the parliamentarian.
Dmitry Zhuravlev, research director of the Institute of Regional Problems, says that this measure will not have a significant impact on the demographic situation, since the cost per child is much higher than the discount.
Yuri Guskov, Doctor of Political Science, Professor of the Department of Economics and Management of the Institute of Economics, Management and Law of Moscow State Pedagogical University, specifies that the reasons for the difficult demographic situation are more mental than economic in nature.
- It is necessary to work systematically, focused on the long term and to take more radical measures, which, of course, will require very large budget expenditures. Otherwise, the situation will not move from the "dead point"," the expert emphasizes
Well-adjusted mechanism
In addition, it is important to realize that the introduction of the benefit may create certain problems for management companies, Nikita Chaplin points out. They may face under-receipt of funds.
- If the state does not compensate management companies for lost income in full and in a timely manner, it may lead to a deterioration in the quality of services, delays in repairs and even bankruptcy of some organizations, - warns the deputy.
Another danger is that the management companies themselves may use the privilege as a reason to increase the rent, warns Dmitry Zhuravlev. It is necessary to develop measures to prevent such cases.
According to Alexander Pavlenko, on average, 78.8 million homeowners overpay up to 30% of the bill for housing services. This amounts to about Br1 trillion a year. This situation provokes the growth of non-payments and the allocation of subsidies for management organizations.
To avoid negative consequences for all participants in the process, it is crucial to develop a clear mechanism of compensation to management companies and ensure its smooth functioning. Otherwise, good intentions may turn into problems in the housing and utilities sector, summarizes Chaplin.
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