Introducing a childlessness tax will not solve Russia’s demographic problems but will only deepen social injustice, warned State Duma deputy Svetlana Bessarab in an interview with Pravda.Ru. Bessarab, a member of the Duma Committee on Labor, Social Policy and Veterans’ Affairs, responded sharply to a recent proposal from her colleague, retired Lieutenant General Andrey Gurulyov.
Gurulyov had suggested the creation of a “dignified retirement tax” aimed at citizens without children. He shared that the idea emerged during a conversation with former Zabaykalsky Krai governor Ravil Geniatulin, who questioned why the state should care for the elderly who “left no offspring behind.”
“The state, really? When you're old and infirm? No one needs you, you left no one behind. So why should the state carry this burden? Then pay a tax for a dignified retirement if you don't want children,” Gurulyov said.
According to Bessarab, such a proposal contradicts the Constitution of the Russian Federation and revives failed policies of the Soviet past.
She recalled that during the Soviet era, a similar tax on childlessness had been imposed — and it disproportionately affected those who, for health or personal reasons, were unable to have children.
“We had a childlessness tax, and it was often paid by people who, due to medical reasons, couldn’t have children. Or those who, for various reasons — not always by choice — remained single and childless,” Bessarab explained.
She firmly believes that punitive measures will not address Russia’s demographic challenges. Instead, she urged the government to focus on expanding support for families with children.
“I absolutely believe a childlessness tax should never be introduced. It doesn’t solve the problem. We should encourage childbirth, support families, not impose additional taxes on those without children,” the deputy concluded.
