Russia may also introduce ‘freeloaders’ tax

The Russian Federal Labour Service has suggested imposing a tax on ‘freeloaders’ – citizens who have no official jobs and are not officially unemployed. It may help fight illegal labour, the service believes. The size of the fine has not been defined yet, ITAR-TASS reports.

About 11% of Russians do not pay taxes and 15% get only part of their wages officially.

Alyaksandr Lukashenka signed decree #3 (the so-called ‘freeloaders’ tax) in Belarus on April 2. The document is supposed to make unemployed Belarusians take part in the financing of the state expenses. Belarusians and permanent residents who do not pay taxes (or work for fewer than 183 workdays a year) must pay 20 base amounts (3 million 600 thousand roubles) to the state by November 2016.

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