| In Krasnoyarsk, the wealthy will pay for the poor The administration of the Krasnoyarsk Territory has approved a living wage for residents of this region. In 2003, according to local authorities, the average Krasnoyarsk resident needs to spend at least 2,380 rubles a month on food, clothing, transportation and household services. This is slightly more than the all-Russian subsistence level, which, however, is not surprising - in Siberia life is really more expensive than in Tver or Kaluga.
Although the cost of living is a somewhat virtual concept (2,380 rubles per month in Krasnoyarsk and the same amount in the small town of Ilansk are two different values), it is still of great importance. Based on the cost of living, the parameters of the regional budget for 2003 were calculated. In particular, every Krasnoyarsk family whose average per capita income is less than 2,380 rubles can count on a housing subsidy. We are not talking about the fact that low-income people will receive money from the regional budget; they will simply have their rent reduced as much as possible. According to Deputy Governor Anatoly Matyushenko, according to preliminary calculations, such families will pay 50 rubles a month for housing. But in any case, the rent should not exceed 22% of the total family income - this is provided for by federal law. Experts from the regional administration suggest that more than 700 thousand Krasnoyarsk residents will be able to apply for housing subsidies - approximately a quarter of the total number of residents of the region. Local authorities will allocate 4 billion rubles for these purposes next year—this is a ninth of the total regional budget revenues.
However, the regional administration intends to share the burden of maintaining housing for the poor with wealthy people and the so-called middle class. Next year, their payments will cover 90% of the real cost of housing and communal services. Governor Alexander Khloponin (his personal income in 2001 was just over 40 million rubles) is convinced that this will not be difficult for many Krasnoyarsk residents: “Can Khloponin pay for 100% of housing and communal services? Maybe! This means we need to take money from him and give it to the development of public utilities.” Alexander MAKAROV, Krasnoyarsk |
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