29 March 2024, Friday, 0:58
Support
the website
Sim Sim,
Charter 97!
Categories

Who Benefits from "Ration Cards" in Belarus?

21
Who Benefits from "Ration Cards" in Belarus?

Everyone benefits except the poor.

In the next six months, sixteen retail chains have pledged to provide a 10% discount on socially important goods (SIG) to "vulnerable categories" of Belarusians: pensioners, large families, low-income people (who receive a monthly social allowance), writes Svobodnye Novosti.

The agreement was signed between the government and the retail chains (Santa Retail, Evrotorg, Dobronom, Vitalur, BelMarketKompany, BelVillesden (Gippo) and others).

Socially vulnerable customers will get a 10% discount on 29 socially important goods. The monthly amount of purchases in a particular shopping network with discounts cannot exceed the size of the minimum subsistence budget - 288.01 Belarusian rubles.

To make a purchase, one needs to have a trade network card and a certificate. Close relatives and social workers can also benefit from the program. As always, there is one "but": they must have documents proving their relationship, as well as a certificate and a discount card of the person.

"Both sides are happy with the deal"

The expert, who asked to remain anonymous, believes that two sides will benefit from the deal: the government and the retail chains. But the poor are unlikely to be happy.

- Who would benefit specifically from such an agreement? Look, the government shows it cares about the poor, while inflation is high and food prices are rising. Since January 17, all the retail chains have had advertisements about this 10% discount on certain products. On the one hand, the retail chains are not eager to fulfil the promises: for example, the discount cards will be issued within 25 days after a thorough document check. Moreover, how can one determine the level of markup at the serious players? Besides, they always have a manoeuvre - to replace the markup with a bonus. The regulator has not taken any steps to limit the bonuses. The markup can equal 5%, and the bonus on top - 15%.

Someone may have promised not to limit the activities of retail chains by other regulations for the period of this action.

As a result, the very limited losses of the big chains are more than compensated by the absence of restrictions. On the other hand, they get an excellent propaganda campaign at someone else's expense - at the expense of the state. In principle, both sides are happy with the deal.

The expert notes small business is excluded from the scheme:

- It can't technically participate in the campaign, and it's not economically profitable. It has no bonus kickback.

The analyst does not see any difference between the previous scheme of helping the poor and the current one:

- Previously, discounts were set either on specific items or the amount of the purchase. And now it applies to groups of goods, the technology is just a little more complicated...

Write your comment 21

Follow Charter97.org social media accounts