(MENAFN) A member of Russia's State Duma has suggested reintroducing a tax on childlessness reminiscent of the one that existed during Soviet times. The proposal is put forth with the rationale of addressing the imperative to bolster the population.
“We must encourage the birth of children,” Evgeny Fyodorov from the ruling United Russia party reported to a Russian news outlet on Saturday. He further suggested that the generated tax revenue could be allocated to support both current and prospective welfare initiatives intended to assist families with children.
“Should we introduce a tax for this cause? If we won’t have enough money for such projects, we should,” The Member of Parliament, who holds a position on the parliamentary budget and taxation committee, stated. “It is not punishment, but a solution to the problem.”
The initial tax on childlessness was instituted during World War II and persisted until the dissolution of the Soviet Union. This tax was applicable to men between the ages of 20 and 50, as well as married women aged 20 to 45.
Throughout the years, there have been instances where politicians and church authorities have considered the notion of reintroducing a comparable tax. Nonetheless, the suggested measure faces opposition. Nina Ostanina, who chairs the Duma family affairs committee, remarked on Sunday that the effectiveness of such a tax would be limited to a socialist system. “We are living in an absolutely different society,” she stated.
MP Svetlana Bessarab informed a media website that a tax on childlessness will be equal to “discrimination against people who have no children.” She also mentioned that it would “really be a punishment, regardless of what we call it.”
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