Assistance can be either direct or indirect. In this terse streamlined replica of the press Secretary of President Dmitry Peskova (in an interview with RTVI TV channel) many saw the hint of a hypothetical opportunity grant direct payments to citizens by the state. Today the topic of “helicopter money” has gained special relevance, but the authorities have outlined their position on it. That Sands later said that interpretation of his words as the distribution of money to the population – “the erroneous submission of information.” It is obvious that to follow the path of the US, Hong Kong, Japan, some EU member States, the Russian government is not going to be distributed to people of certain fixed sums for the support in the context of pandemic plans is not included.
the Arguments against “helicopter money” (this is what in financial circles is called a direct distribution of money to the population) were previously announced and the head of the Central Bank Elvira Nabiullina and the head of Sberbank German Gref and Minister of Finance Anton Siluanov and the Chairman of the state Duma Vyacheslav Volodin. The latter referred to the transatlantic realities: in coronavirus-torn America, he said, 27 million people have no health insurance, and for connection to a ventilator is required in the amount of $72 thousand. “And give them $1,000. There you are, this country, which actually dropped to 27 million people one-on-one with this problem”, – said the speaker of the state Duma.
Nabiullina, as is the nature of the financier, recalled that the financial resources are not limitless and that the government has targeted providing assistance to “those most affected, most vulnerable”. But what if we imagine that the Central Bank will print money and distribute it at a zero rate, it will lead to an explosion of inflation, in the 1990-ies.
However, the arguments of the supporters of the “helicopter approach”, including a group of prominent liberal economist Sergei Guriev, Konstantin Sonin and Oleg vyugina sound in its own way convincing. According to them, direct payments at the expense of the national welfare Fund will not only cover the minimum basic needs of the population, but also to stimulate the purchasing power of those who do not have any savings and live “paycheck to paycheck”. The Director of the Centre for post-industrial studies Vladislav Inozemtsev offers
on-time payments to citizens to allocate 2 trillion rubles from the national welfare Fund – 15-17 thousand rubles per person.
do Not go by the authorities, says the Director of the Institute of strategic analysis FBK Igor Nikolaev. First, he explains, the lion’s share of the resources of the national welfare Fund, the main government store is already “painted” in advance. By April 1, its liquid part is made up of 12.9 trillion rubles, and since Siluanov said that by the end of the year, the Fund volume amounted to 7 trillion rubles, respectively��course, 5.9 trillion will go to those who are in a pandemic in time podsuetilis and “lined up”. And this, of course, are not ordinary people. Secondly, officials thought the old-fashioned way: the best anti-crisis insurance for them – clogged up to the top of the jug. They do not realize that a rainy day has already arrived that the urgent need to save the population and business.
Yes, the state has approached the current crisis with impressive financial safety cushion, but the population was not ready for it: as fresh polls show that 60% have no savings at all. Before the events of 2008-2009, it was different, reminiscent of Nikolaev: then real incomes were growing at 10-15% per year. Social risks are now much sharper, and pull through the impossible. To some extent it will be implemented through the third package of measures of state support (gratuitous payments to employees of small and medium enterprises in the amount of the minimum wage – 12130 rubles), but will affect only 3 million people. Wide coverage is not called, and the amount is paltry.
“I think everyone is not necessary, – the Director of the Centre for labour market studies of the HSE, Vladimir Gimpelson. – First of all, it should identify categories of employees whose income last year exceeded a certain level, say, 1 million rubles. In addition, a special hardship could be discontinued for two to three months charges for utility services, offsetting it from the Federal budget.”
However, the expert asks the question: how can this help technologically. Gimpelson says, even if we choose the easiest way and will start to “throw money from helicopters,” we need not just a helicopter, and one that on Board will be a special aiming mechanism. Otherwise, the money will scatter, will take away somewhere in the direction of the wind, and no they do not get it. In Western countries, such instruments are available, and we?
