Social cards for the poor. Product cards will give recipients less than a living wage
In 2017, grocery cards with points will appear in Russia, this program will cost the state 240 billion rubles. (about $ 4 billion). Russian media cite the words of the head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov, who spoke about the principle of action of cards.
Cards will allow low-income people to buy products that they could not afford before: fresh chilled meat, fresh chilled fish, fresh vegetables.
There will be no accumulative system; points not spent during the month will be burned out.
In addition, this money cannot be cashed.
The Ministry of Industry and Trade reported that 15 million people can become recipients of assistance, the monthly payment will be 1,400 rubles. It will be possible to buy on the card at any points of sale working with the national payment system.
According to Manturov, targeted food subsidies will not only help poor citizens buy goods that are inaccessible to them, but also protect the state from inappropriate use of allocated funds.
American experience
Experts note that the program proposed by the Ministry of Industry and Trade resembles the American Food Stamp Program.This is a federal program for helping low-income or low-income residents of the United States of America.
Responsible for the US Department of Agriculture program. Currently, most of the funds are distributed using plastic cards.
As of October 2016, 43,215,557 people from 21,328,525 households received food aid.
The average monthly allowance per person was $ 126.13, per household - $ 256.93.
The main goal of the program of preferential purchase of products is to improve the quality of food among low-income citizens.
Only foodstuffs can be bought on the card, while alcohol and cigarettes do not belong to this category; accordingly, allocated money cannot be spent on these goods.
Among the products that you can buy are vegetables and fruits, bread, milk and dairy products, meat and fish, poultry.
You can’t buy products and products for animals, alcoholic drinks and cigarettes, household goods, live animals.
But live fish can be bought on these cards, since it belongs to the category of food products.
You can buy sweets, pastries and pastries.
In addition, cards may not be available at all stores. Also, you cannot cash this money or buy food for them in fast food restaurants.
However, as practice has shown, families receiving food stamps do not spend more on acquiring products: most of the money saved by exchanging food stamps is spent on them for other purposes.
As with any gratuitous money distribution system, there are cases of corruption and fraud.
Citizens participating in the program begin to hide their additional income in order to continue to receive state assistance.
Despite the ban on exchanging food stamps for cash, stamp recipients often conspire with sellers and sell them discount stamps, for example, the $ 400 coupon is sold for $ 200.
This is beneficial for both the recipient of the coupons: he receives not products, but real money, and the seller: he receives from the budget as compensation the full cost of the coupon.
The result is a significant criminalization of the sphere of circulation of food stamps.
As Vesti.Ekonomika previously wrote, the number of people in the US receiving food cards has grown significantly in the eight years that Obama was in power.
When he came to power in 2009, 28,223,000 people received food cards.
In 2016, already 44,219,000 people received grocery cards. Thus, the growth amounted to almost 16 million people.
Food cards in other countries of the world
In the XX century, they were widely used in the countries of the socialist camp to combat commodity shortages, and in countries with market economies - to support socially disadvantaged segments of the population.In particular, grocery cards became widespread after the end of World War II.
In the Czech Republic, the card system for basic foodstuffs was introduced on October 2, 1939, for fabrics, clothes, shoes and heating oil in December of the same year. With amendments and additions, it lasted until May 31, 1953 and was canceled during the monetary reform.
In the UK, petrol cards were canceled in 1950, for sugar and sweets in 1953, for meat in July 1954.
In Japan, the card system was abolished in 1949, state control over prices was abolished in 1952.
In Israel, the card system was introduced in 1949-1952.
Card and coupon distribution systems exist to this day in some countries.
So, the card system is present in countries such as Venezuela and Cuba.
Cuba is currently spending over a billion dollars on food subsidies, which are distributed through cards to the population. Cubans pay only 12% of the real cost of food.
You can buy products for about 10 days, but the card is inexpensive: just a dollar a month for one person.
The card system in Cuba was introduced in 1962.
Venezuela, which has been in a state of crisis for several years, also has a food stamp system. The card system was introduced in 2014.
On cards you can buy scarce goods - rice, milk, sugar.
Product cards in our country
This month, the Stolypin club will present its "Growth Strategy" to the president. Priority: development of internal competition and avoiding oil and gas dependence. In addition, it is necessary to create a more favorable economic environment for the infusion of new investments.
In our country, the coupon system was most widespread in 1988-1991, when the total deficit reached a peak, and the products began to disappear, both meat and ordinary, which were not in short supply before: sugar, cereals, vegetable oil, and more.
The coupon system has come to naught since the beginning of 1992 in connection with the “vacation” of prices, which reduced solvent demand, and the spread of free trade. For some products in some regions, coupons lasted longer.
The decision of the authorities to introduce a system of cards for food in our country caused an mixed reaction in society.
There were critics of this idea stating that such a system would lead to corruption and fraudulent schemes and in no way affect the well-being of the poor, as well as supporters who indicated that such a system could stimulate demand growth in the country.
In particular, the business ombudsman Boris Titov in an interview with the leading program "Opinion" Evelina Zakamskaya said:
"In many countries, even in prosperous America, there is a system to support basic demand for everyday goods. Why do not we have this? Why do not we give an opportunity to stimulate consumers to buy domestic food products? This will give a serious impetus: firstly, it will improve the life of the population, on the other hand, it will stimulate the development of Russian agriculture".
"This would give a little less than 1% to the growth in agricultural volumes. To GDP this would (add - approx. Ed.) A few tenths of a percentage point," he added.
"World" to the rescue
The debit card Mir will become a payment instrument within the framework of the program of food assistance to low-income citizens of Russia; at the moment, a way to bring funds from the budget to consumers is being finalized, the press service of the Ministry of Industry and Trade said."The payment instrument of the program, the electronic food certificate is the Mir debit card. It can be specially issued at the request of the consumer by any bank or the consumer can use the existing one," the press service said.
The ministry pointed to the multifunctionality of the Mir card: it can be used to charge salaries, scholarships, allowances or other payments.
Now the Ministry of Industry and Trade is finalizing the very architecture of the program processing - a way to bring money from the budget to consumers and then to retail outlets.
At the same time, automatic control of the targeted spending of these funds will be ensured, since the money allocated under the program can be spent only on certain categories of products.
“We with NSPK JSC, the operator of the Mir national payment system, have already found a suitable technical solution that may well work within the framework of existing processing mechanisms when paying by bank cards. Only special functions will be added to automatically control whether an acceptable item is purchased or no. If not, the system will not miss such a purchase, ”the press service added.
Moreover, cards can be used in all stores that are ready to work in this system.
If you are a senior citizen, it will be useful for you to know that rumors about food cards that can be used to get a certain set of essential food products are a future reality. Who has the right to receive support from the state, and on what conditions product certificates are issued - we will talk about this in more detail.
For people "from the 90s" the very concept of a grocery card is terrifying - a kilogram of sugar, buckwheat, millet and a little oil - that’s what we remember. However, today's product certificate is a completely different document and has a significantly expanded range.
The introduction of certificates for citizens with a minimum standard of living is the idea of \u200b\u200bthe Ministry of Industry and Trade. The assistance program provides for the issuance of special food cards to low-income families and pensioners. It seems that the certificate will be a kind of analogue of a bank card where funds are credited. But you can spend them only for certain purposes in certain stores. It is believed that money will not be credited to cards, but their equivalent in special points.
What products can I buy:
- only from the Russian manufacturer;
- essential goods;
- products not long-term storage: dairy, fish, meat, dairy, vegetables, bread.
That is, import delicacies, alcohol, and cigarettes are clearly not intended here, however, the list of the food set is still being discussed and will become known a little later. The social support program for citizens is also designed to support the Russian manufacturer, retailer. That is why the receipt of goods will be limited to certain outlets.
Issue price
Officials believe that the amount of 10,000 rubles. enough for essential products. Moreover, the entire amount of finance is supposed to be divided into a year (12 months). Thus, monthly expenses will not exceed 833 rubles. Enough? Unlikely. Initially, it was about 1,400 rubles. monthly, but these crumbs decided to cut back.
Who can get the certificate
The right to a certificate is obtained by citizens whose income for the last 3 months has not exceeded the minimum cost of living. As a rule, these are people who have privileges for paying utility bills, receiving social subsidies, and additional payments for children. If this is a family, then the aggregate income is calculated divided by all family members. Revenues are compared with the regional framework of the subsistence minimum, and it sometimes differs from the federal one and varies depending on the territorial location of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation.
Where does the food certificate program in 2018 already work
The Ministry of Industry and Trade proposed to introduce the program back in 2014, but there was no money in the budget and the issue was raised in 2017. The program was discussed, approved, and in the summer of 2017 D. Manurov announced the launch of the assistance system in the second half of 2018.
The deputy head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade V. Yevtukhov introduced amendments, saying that the required amount of financing was required, but there were no funds in the budget. And the program, having passed the coordination, has so far remained “on the shelf”. In 2018, the launch of the assistance system also failed, but Mr. Manturov assures that no one is going to give up and there is hope to launch the certificates in 2019. It all depends on whether there are funds in the budget to help the poor segments of the Russian Federation. It remains to wait for the discussion of the draft budget in the State Duma, on which it will become clear whether the expenses are incurred on Russian citizens or not.
The social function of the state is to help people who are in a difficult financial situation. To do this, citizens in need are provided with subsidies and benefits, as well as cash payments and the issuance of basic necessities. Moscow authorities tried to improve this mechanism, and replaced the natural delivery of things and food with electronic certificates.
Currently, social certificates are valid only in Moscow.
It is known that a significant part of the budget goes to the purchase of food. Assistance in their acquisition by the state is provided for such families with serious material support, allowing them to spend the money saved on other needs.
The program is implemented by regional social protection authorities and depends on the capabilities of the local budget. This may be the provision of products, the allocation of funds for their purchase or the organization of free meals in educational, medical or social institutions.
However, practice shows the imperfection of such schemes. The provision of products does not always meet the needs of a particular family, and it can be difficult to verify the targeted spending of allocated funds. Therefore, the possibility of transferring a certain amount to special cards with a limited ability to use them has been discussed for several years now.
To date, such a program is fully operational only in Moscow. Its essence is that each month a fixed amount is transferred to the social cards of residents of the capital. It is impossible to cash out, since the card balance is calculated in points. They act on the principle of gift cards. One point is equivalent to one Russian ruble. Thus, a person has the opportunity to determine his own diet, and not depend on a standard "food basket".
At the same time, misuse of allocated funds is excluded, since points can only be spent on products. However, the use of a card is not mandatory - if a person for some reason does not want to take advantage of this offer, he can still get food in kind.
Who is issued a social certificate
At the moment, in order to take the opportunity to get help to purchase food, two conditions must be met:
- Have a Muscovite social card, to which funds will subsequently be transferred.
- Meet the criteria of a low-income family.
In Moscow, families where the average income per person is less than the living wage or exceeds it by no more than 50% can count on getting social for food. It is issued not per person, but per family. Thus, each family is entitled to only one food certificate.
Order of receipt
To obtain a social certificate, it will be necessary to prepare a package of documents according to the list below.
An application for targeted assistance is submitted to the social services center at the place of residence. The following documents must be submitted with the application:
- applicant's passport;
- birth certificate of the child (ren);
- information on income for 12 months: certificates of salary, on receipt of pensions, scholarships, alimony and other types of profit, as well as subsidies for the payment of housing and communal services (if any);
- if the parents are unemployed, it is necessary to present work books and certificates from the employment center on payments or their absence;
- documents proving that the applicant has privileges: a pension certificate, a certificate of disability, a certificate that the family is large, a certificate of loss of a breadwinner, etc .;
- the applicant’s social card, to which the electronic application will subsequently be linked;
- SNILS of the applicant.
Within 2 weeks, the employees of the social welfare department will consider and, in the case of a positive decision, send the applicant a notification about crediting a certain face value to the social card that can be spent on buying products. No additional card activation is required.
How to use points
Card cannot pay for the purchase of alcohol and tobacco products!
There are no restrictions on the consumption of points within the face value. They can be spent at a time, or used to pay for several purchases. But they accept a social card for payment only in the partner stores of the program.
Today it is the stores of the X5 Retail Group network: Pyaterochka, Karusel and Perekrestok, as well as the Dixy chain. Thus, certificate holders are not tied to a specific point of delivery of products, since these networks belong to the category of “at home” stores.
Why do grocery cards to poor citizens replenish "their own money"? At least for the following reason: the state promises that a citizen will be able to receive from 30% to 50% of the replenished amount every month - this is a pretty solid profit. It’s just what will happen to personal funds after a month and whether they will burn out together with bonus rubles, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, apparently, has not yet decided. The experience of the USSR and foreign countries Distribution of "cards for the poor" is not at all an innovative solution for a crisis economy. We can say that grocery cards are being returned to Russia - a similar system already existed in the USSR. Food cards in the USSR appeared together with the USSR itself - in 1917. The coupon payment system was introduced periodically, but this was not at all connected with the general poverty of Russians (as it is now), but with constant supply crises.
When will introduce grocery cards for the poor in Russia in 2018
Attention
According to preliminary data, food cards will be served by the Mir payment system.
Thus, from 2018-2019. It is planned to introduce a new program to support low-income people in Russia.
It consists in providing people with a social card for the purchase of fresh food products such as fruits, vegetables, meat, fish and dairy products.
Info
The innovation is designed to support a healthy diet of the Russian population, to provide assistance to poor citizens.
Important
Accrued funds can be spent only within one month, then they burn out.
To receive a food card, a citizen needs to confirm his needy situation with documents.
Card issuance is carried out by social security authorities at the place of registration.
It is enough for a family to confirm that its income is less than the subsistence minimum established in the region of residence.
Military pensioners for Russia and its armed forces
A person receives a plastic card on which points are credited monthly (1 point \u003d 1 ruble), which can be spent on food - certain products of domestic production. As a rule, these are perishable products: fresh fruits and vegetables, milk, fish, meat.
The list also includes bread, flour, cereals, pasta, sugar, salt, water, eggs, vegetable oil.
The slogan of the developers of the system: "Only fresh and domestic."
Points not spent during the month are burned out, and they cannot be accumulated. Each year, each holder is entitled to about 10 thousand rubles for grocery cards (money will be charged monthly). He can replenish the card on his own - when crediting his own funds, the owner will receive 30-50% of the deposited amount as a bonus from the budget. For comparison: Americans under the food stamps program receive 110-130 dollars a month.
Social Food Cards for the Poor
To do this, a person needs to calculate their income as follows: Sum up all official incomes of each family member for the previous three months. We take into account salaries, pensions, scholarships, etc. Divide the amount received by three to determine the monthly family income - Divide the received number by all family members At the same time, children and pensioners are taken into account. The category of low-income people who will be given food cards includes:
- low-income citizens;
- large families;
- single mothers;
- unemployed (persons registered on the labor exchange).
Legal framework The main document regulating the procedure for the assignment and processing of food cards is the document of the Ministry of Industry and Trade “Strategy for the Development of Trade of the Russian Federation for 2014-2016.
and the period until 2020. "
When Russia will introduce grocery cards for the poor
The term “food cards” quickly spread throughout the media and raised great excitement primarily due to negative historical associations: the system itself was first used during the First World War and was subsequently used only in warring countries or countries with a serious shortage of products (and usually with a socialist system). In fact, we are talking about the Russian counterpart of food stamps - food cards in the United States for socially disadvantaged groups. Americans have been using this benefit for more than 50 years, and the number of program participants has almost reached 50 million.
What documents are needed to get a grocery card?
It is known that control over the distribution of cards will be imputed to the duties of the social welfare authorities - a poor citizen should not have a question where to get a grocery card, because he is probably familiar with the address of the local social protection department.
To apply for benefits, you will have to not only bring the required papers, but also pass an interview - a kind of “lice test”.
Everyone who receives a grocery card in Russia will be obliged to make every possible effort to find work (if there is none) in order to avoid the spread of parasitism.
It is expected that the list of citizens eligible for the benefit will be reviewed once every 6 months.
A poor citizen will have to carry documents in social security every six months confirming his preferential status.
Food cards appeared in Russian history for a long time. The time of their appearance was the twenties of the last century. Coupons are a measure of support for the poor in kind. The indicated persons receive available food on their cards. It is worth noting that coupons have been distributed in many countries around the world, including the United States. By the way, the latter began to use coupons in the forties and have not refused them to this day. About thirteen percent of Americans take this opportunity and buy food on a special plastic card. It is worth noting that such cards are replenished with a small amount of cash, and the direction of their spending is closely monitored by the government.
Social Support Today
In modern Russia, they are trying to revive this form of support for vulnerable groups. So, the “Care” card has received its distribution, according to which each of the presenters can get a good discount on food, medicine, and various services. For example, we can take Ryazan, where such a policy has shown good results. More than two hundred and fifty thousand people have already received “Care” cards.
In the capital, a similar experiment is carried out by issuing electronic certificates. The recipients were about one hundred and ninety-seven thousand citizens.
The idea of \u200b\u200bintroducing a unified system of food cards appeared in 2015, and the Ministry of Industry and Trade was its initiator. However, one desire is not enough. In order for the system to work, a detailed review of the project and its approval by many authorities, including the Ministry of Economic Development and the Ministry of Finance, are necessary.
The situation cleared up in 2017, when approval was received from the designated ministries. Thus, the implementation of the project was scheduled for the period 17-18 years. However, the deadlines were not met due to the fact that the question arose about the number of people in need, who will be issued new coupons. So, according to different experts, the number varied from four to nineteen million people. In early 2018, it was announced that the project will not be abandoned and the introduction of food certificates will begin in 2019.
At the same time, food certificates are designed not only to make life easier for vulnerable groups of the population, but also to ensure demand for domestic products. At the same time, inflation is expected to decline and the domestic economy will rise.
The social component in the provision of product certificates
In addition to improving the quality of life of low-income citizens, certificates are designed to reduce tensions in society. So, out of twenty-three million citizens with incomes below the subsistence level, nineteen million are officially considered poor. It is they who should become the recipients of a new type of in-kind support from the state. However, economists believe that the total number of recipients, nevertheless, will drop to fifteen million people. This, of course, is enough to revive the market for Russian products and revive competition in it.
Thus, the introduction of food certificates will lead to a healthy economy in the country.
Work mechanisms
Socially unprotected citizens will receive plastic cards tied to a specific account. Funds will be credited to this account at the rate of ten thousand rubles per year.
Moreover, these funds will not be equated to real money and their use for purposes not provided for this will not be possible. It will resemble a ball system. About twenty seven rubles will be credited to the card per day. It is important to note that unused funds will not be able to accumulate. That is, if a person did not use these same twenty-seven rubles, then they will burn.
On food cards it will be possible to buy products that fall into a special list approved by the Ministry of Health. This list includes foods such as cereals, sugar, salt, butter, groceries, milk, potatoes, vegetables, fruits, eggs, meat and fish. Naturally, a person cannot get alcohol and cigarettes using cards.