Natalya Akindinova, Director of the Center for Development Institute of the Higher Economic School, Ruslan Grinberg, Director of the Economic Institute of the RAS, Yevsey Gurvich, head of the Economic Expert Group, and Igor Nikolayev, Director of the FBK Institute for Strategic Analysis, have discussed the cancellation of the maternity grant, reform of the pension system and other measures Russia may take to save 1 trillion rubles.
Akindinova believes that scrapping the maternity grant is not the key element of the initiative. The outrage it could cause may be used to cover some other reforms.Grinberg sees problems with investment activities and supposes that improvement of budget efficiency is not the priority issue. He reminded that the tax quota amounted to 35% of GDP, compared with 45-46% in socialist states, 50% in Scandinavia.
Nikolayev clarified that the idea to reduce expenditure had reasons. Russia is on the edge of recession and balances on growth of 1%. He pointed out that reduction of social expenditure for the sake of other expenditure would violate the Constitution. The expert believes that the government should encourage the population, with over 14 trillion rubles accumulated, to spend.
Gurvich said that adjustments to the budget could improve the situation.
