Sick people pay taxes for charity

"At present, we can perform the same surgeries that they do abroad. If there is something we cannot do, a special commission gathers every month and takes decision on 12-13 people. We usually send 2 or 3 people to get treatment abroad. The expenses are covered by the Ministry of Health. Of course, people can refuse from treatment and go wherever they want to, for their own expense,"- says the Ministry of Health of our social-oriented state.

Two or three people is a drop in a sea, much more sick children have a need for help. Sometimes, the patients simply do not rely on the state.

Alena, the mother of epileptic Sasha Fursa from Baranavichy, says that they are collecting money  for the first and the second surgery, which is 16 thousand euros each, from the whole world. She does not even try to hope for the officials. She only wants them to free her from ... taxes!

"We ask them not to impose any interest taxes for the money that I get from people, on us. The commission comes and checks how we live, they even look into the refrigerator! I do not wear fur or something like that. Of course, my son sleeps on the bed, but we are not rich. Still, we send the documents to the tax inspectorate, the accompanying documents from doctors and write appeals, first to the Chairman of the Executive Committee and then to the governor, that we are not tax deductible. We also appeal for the 400 thousand roubles of state aid once a year. "

Alena still needs to collect a little more than 1 thousand euros in order to resume treatment in Germany, as local doctors cannot do anything.

Officials of the Baranavichy tax inspectorate explain to Euroradio that one indeed should pay taxes for charity.

"If the sum is less than 53 million roubles - you pay nothing, if it is more - 12% of the difference. This is the Tax Code that we have".

For example, Sasha received 16,000 euros, so he needs to pay more than one thousand euros of taxes to the state. The very state which provides 400 thousand roubles per year as the aid. Taxes can be avoided if there is a number of additional "papers": the conclusion of the medical commission and applications sent to the city executive committees and higher instances.

"There can be obstacles when they don't want to provide documents to send a person abroad for treatment. We have no legislation with regard to charity. We are led by the resolutions of the Ministry of Justice", - they tell Euroradio in the charity fund "Planet of Good". 

They hope that they might change the situation at least by words, so that charity would get certain legislative base and this would steer people to help each other.

Representatives of the Belarusian charity funds say that ordinary people respond to the appeals for help most often.

"There is an old lady who transfers money from her pension to our account for 10 years already. First it was 10 roubles, now it's 10 thousand roubles. The kids get everything they need from the state - free treatment, social aid", - they say in the Belarusian Children's Hospice.

The funds often come across the situation when private entrepreneurs help them but ask not to tell anyone about it in order not to pay taxes for this also.