Potential solutions in favor of various social groups of the population are listed
Our country has entered the election campaign period, which will end in March 2024. It just so happens — not only in Russia, but throughout the world — that during the pre-election period, candidates for high positions and the political forces behind them try to bestow the electorate with some very material “gifts” in order to gain their sympathy and the necessary for election by votes. Considering Vladimir Putin's nomination has already taken place, should Russians expect any generous gestures from the authorities in the next three months? And what could it be: indexation of pensions for workers, a one-time payment to all pensioners, low-income people or families with children, credit amnesty or amnesty for housing and communal services debts? MK turned to expert economists for answers to these questions.
“We believe that such “gifts” to the population can be expected, and some of them will inevitably be made. We are talking about indexing pensions for non-working pensioners and increasing the minimum wage from January 1, 2024 — this has already been officially announced and spending for these purposes is provided for in the budget. But most likely there will be no indexation of pensions for working pensioners. Perhaps there will be some one-time payments to families with children and low-income citizens. You shouldn’t expect a credit amnesty or debt forgiveness for non-payment of housing and communal services. However, bank fees for paying utility bills for pensioners have already been abolished, and this can also be considered one of the election “gifts” to a significant part of the population.”
“There will definitely be such “carrots”, but their list is a mystery. There may be an indexation of benefits, an increase in salaries for public sector employees, and some one-time payments to veterans and pensioners dedicated to different dates. That is, those sections of the population that are the most loyal electorate will be affected — pensioners, residents of subsidized regions, people with incomes below the subsistence level. In other words, the most socially vulnerable groups of the population.”
“This is a common practice when candidates try to secure votes for themselves through “handouts” from the state treasury. We have seen this many times during past election campaigns — both parliamentary and presidential. Therefore, even now this option is not excluded. But, in my opinion, these will most likely be payments not to pensioners, but to families with children, judging by the already established socio-political trends. But I don’t want to deprive older people of hope: maybe some one-time payments for pensioners will also appear. The election campaign has just begun, so there may be all sorts of surprises, including some pleasant ones.”
“Fundamental large-scale social “gifts” covering the entire population or large groups of it are unlikely to be expected. The budget is very tight, expenses are strictly scheduled and approved by law. Additional “pre-election” payments are not planned. Don’t create illusions.”
“Any “gifts” don’t just appear out of nowhere. All additional expenses and expenses are included in the appropriate budget items. It is important to remember that in the context of the SVO and the unprecedented sanctions to which Russia has become accustomed, one should not count on money “from heaven.” No economy in the world can afford this. It would be much more sensible now to conduct an analysis of the effectiveness of existing social programs with the aim of eliminating excess costs and optimizing the allocation of resources. It is also important to use modern technologies and automate the process of distributing social benefits, which will significantly reduce costs and reduce the bureaucratic burden. In addition, it is important to increase efforts to improve the level of financial literacy of the population and provide information about available social opportunities for optimal use of resources. These steps can help improve social benefits, even with limited financial resources.
But still, the best “gift” for the population is a return to a strong national currency, to a policy of a strong and unshakable ruble. This will solve the problem of capital outflow from the country, devaluation and acceleration of inflation, to which low-income citizens are very sensitive, and will help complete the de-dollarization process begun in the Russian Federation. Perhaps the best gift for the electorate will be the attractiveness of the ruble as an instrument for saving and increasing capital. And he – the electorate – will earn money himself.”