Andrey Lubensky: Ukrainians’ debts have been written off, but they will make the new ones

The Ukrainian parliament approved the law “About writing off and rescheduling the debts of the population for apartment rent, public utilities payment, consumption of gas and electric power.” The debts are going to be written off for those citizens, whose income in the year 2000 was lower, than the living wage (for the time being it makes up 270 hryvnas). The debts can be rescheduled for the period up to 60 months, depending on the level of income and the sum of the debt. The debtors will conclude agreements with enterprises-suppliers about the even monthly debt payment and about the timely payment of current accounts. The total sum of payments does not exceed 25% of family’s income. This limit was set on the level of 20% for pensioners and other persons, receiving any kinds of social help. If the agreement is fulfilled, then a debt, which exceeds a sum, determined for rescheduling, will be written-off.

Those consumer, who will not wish to conclude such agreements, who have the arrears, but do not pay their current accounts, risk to have meetings with court officers. However, they are not threatened with serious measures to be taken against them. The consumers, which receive their wages and pensions on time, but do not wish to pay for public utilities, can be fined.

246 deputies voted for this law, but the cabinet of ministers of the Ukrainian government was against it. The government reminded that the total debt of the population for public utilities exceeded six billion hryvnas and the sum was growing. Many economists said that writing debts off was not a solution of the problem. The debts will be saved again, if there are no measures taken to raise the citizens’ income.

Andrey Lubensky PRAVDA.Ru

Read the original in Russian: http://www.pravda.ru/main/2001/11/30/34405.html

Translated by Dmitry Sudakov