Tax on "parasitism" in Belarus: who pays and who is exempt from tax

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko on April 2, 2015 adopted Decree No. 3 "On the Prevention of Social Dependency" and introduced a special fee, which is popularly known as the "parasitism" tax. If a person does not have a permanent job for six months, he must pay this type of fee to the treasury. A citizen who decides to evade payment obligations may receive an administrative arrest with forced labor.

Goals

The tax on "parasitism" in Belarus was introduced for the following purposes:

• Replenishment of the treasury. The stable economy of the country depends on it. Now the treasury is enriched thanks to those people who, due to various circumstances, did not pay income tax.
• Free medicine. Yes, he althcare has always been free. Every working citizen has a he alth tax deduction, but the unemployed receivedalso free medical care without paying any fees.
• Reducing the unemployment rate. This is what the government's decision was aimed at in the first place. Thus, unemployment is the scourge of our time, and every state seeks to lower its level. After the decree, many began to look for work in order not to pay tax out of their own pockets.

Who said that in 2017 the tax on "parasitism" was canceled?

After time, it can be noted that this fee had an impact on the country's economy. Some people admitted to being held, but they were able to pay without any problems. Therefore, one should hardly expect the decree to be canceled in the near future.

Who is exempt?

The following citizens may not pay the "parasitism" tax:

• Persons under 18.
• Pensioners. Women aged 55 and men over 60 do not pay the fee as they are on a well-deserved holiday.
• Students. Full-time students who are receiving education for the first time. If this is not the first education, then you will have to pay to the state.
• Disabled and incompetent citizens.
• People who arrived in the Republic of Belarus after the adoption of the decree.
• Citizens who stay in the country for less than 183 days a year.
• Church ministers of religious organizations.
• Villagers. There are practically no vacancies in rural areas, so all residents are mainly engaged infarming, which is also considered work and involves paying taxes.
• Parents. When the child reaches the age of three, one of the parents has the right not to pay the "parasitism" tax.
• Parents of disabled children. They do not pay the "parasitism" tax in Belarus until the child is 18 years old. After that, they must go to work or pay a fee.
• Citizens who stay for a long time in the territory of another country must submit all documents, stamps in passports about living abroad.
• The military just provide a military ID. A conscript who served less than 183 days in a year must pay the fee.
• Individual entrepreneurs. Only if you paid more than 20 basic units of taxes for the year.
• Lawyers, notaries, whose total tax for the year amounted to more than 70 basic units. They may not pay the "parasitism" tax in Belarus (2015).

• Parents with many children with three or more children.
• Citizens undergoing retraining will be exempt from paying the fee if they retrain in the direction of the employment center.
• Officially, the unemployed must be registered with the employment center, but not more than three years. You can only refuse a job offer twice.
• Owners of rented apartments, provided that they pay taxes on the funds received from the rental of property.
• Severely ill patients must providea certificate of incapacity for work or a certificate confirming that they are being treated.
• People of creative professions must provide a ticket that they are in a creative union.
• Prisoners are citizens serving sentences in a correctional colony for more than six months.

All of these categories do not require payment of the "parasitism" tax. To be exempt from paying, you need to submit the relevant documents to the tax authority. And most importantly, collect them on time.

Countries with a "parasitism" tax

Except for the Republic of Belarus, there is no such tax anywhere else. Each country deals with unemployment in its own way. Today, Belarusians are not very happy with this state of affairs.

Who is tracking the "parasites"?

The tax authority inspects the income and expenses of citizens and finds out who did not make any payments. Further, the citizen is recognized as a social dependent, and he is sent a receipt for payment of the fee.

Punishment for non-payment

If you do not pay the tax on "parasitism" in Belarus (2015) on time, you can get a fine. It is charged in the amount of 2-4 basic payments. Or an administrative arrest can be imposed, the term of which can be up to 15 days. For each citizen, the measure of punishment is determined individually. During the arrest, the offender must carry out community service. What kind of work will be carried out is decided by the local authorities. Note that pregnant women are exempt fromdetention.

When to pay?

Social dependency fee is subject to a fee payable by November 15 of the following year. If payments are not made within the prescribed period, then pen alties will be imposed automatically. For example, the fee for 2016 must be paid by November 15, 2017. Better not be late with the payment. It is also very important to bring documents confirming the possibility of not paying the fee on time.

What should I do if I receive a notice?

If you have received a letter stating that you are a "parasite", then within 30 calendar days you can provide documents to the tax service that you are exempt from paying tax. Within 30 days your papers are checked. If the tax office is satisfied with the documents, then you can forget about the payment. And if they didn’t like something, then they will have to figure it out or redo the certificates.

Collecting nuances

Many argue that social dependency is no longer taxed. But, to their great regret, there are no prerequisites for the authorities to decide to cancel the collection. Therefore, you need to know all the nuances of this bill, so that later there will be no trouble. Many people think that if there is no residence permit in Belarus, then you can not pay the fee. In reality, this is not true. Such citizens are also tracked, and if they evade payment, they are put on the wanted list. The government of the country says that ignorance of the law on the fee does not exempt from paying it.

Many articles on the web told people that housewives cando not pay the fee. However, the president has repeatedly commented on this case. If the family decided that the husband can fully support his wife, then he can pay the fee for her. Only those housewives who have a minor child in care, or if they are mothers of many children, are released. So do not wonder if the tax on "parasitism" will be abolished. Most likely not.

After the introduction of this fee, according to official data, unemployment in the country fell sharply. Many residents of Belarus are afraid of losing their position. By signing this bill, the president pursued certain goals, which, in his words, fully justified themselves. The law equated all segments of the population, both the poor and the rich. In the first days after the adoption of the decree, many were outraged by the order signed by Lukashenka. And now mass protests and street demonstrations for the abolition of the decree continue.

And for those citizens who do not want to work, there is an alternative - paying a tax. The authorities say that no one is forcing people to work, that this bill does not violate the Constitution of the country, which states that a person has the right to choose. To work or not - the person himself decides, just the state asks to finance its treasury.