Russian MP proposes taxing childless people

Russian MP Evgeny Fyodorov, a member of the State Duma (lower house of parliament), proposed to restore a tax on childless people to promote population growth.

This tax program dates back to the Soviet era, passed during World War II and lasted until the Soviet Union's collapse. The tax applied to men aged 20-50 and married women aged 20-45.

“We must encourage childbirth,” Evgeny Fyodorov told Moscow Speaks radio. The United Russia lawmaker added that revenue from the tax could be used to fund welfare programs to help families with children.

“Should we introduce taxes for this reason? If there is not enough money for the projects we have mentioned, then we should do it,” the Russian lawmaker commented. “It is not a punishment, but a solution to the problem,” he said.

Russian politicians and officials have floated similar ideas over the years, but the measures have not received full support.

Another lawmaker, Svetlana Bessarab, said the tax would be “discriminatory against people without children”, and “is really a punishment, no matter what we call it”.

The world's population is currently around 8.1 billion, of which Russia's population is around 144.7 million. Russia's population size is expected to decline significantly by 2050.

In 2023, China, the world's second most populous country (after being overtaken by India), will also record its first population decline in 60 years. Many other countries, especially in Europe and Asia, will also see population decline in the coming decades, according to forecasts published by the United Nations.

According to Euronews, there are many reasons behind this decline, some of which are specific to each country, but all of which have to do with low fertility rates, meaning women are having fewer children on average than before. Other reasons include war and migration.

According to the World Bank, fertility rates of 1.2 to 1.6 children per woman are recorded in southern and eastern European countries. Meanwhile, a fertility rate above 2 is the level needed to keep a population stable.

Japan lost more than 3 million people from 2011 to 2021.

Phuong Anh (Source: RT, Euronews)

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