Economist Sergei Guriyev said that introducing support measures for the residents was a good idea, a tax for the rich was not bad, but the refusal to impose quarantine was a mistake. And that mistake on the part of Vladimir Putin is terrible.
The situation around the spread of coronavirus remains unstable. The rise in the number of case continues unabated. At the same time, the authorities are constantly working to develop and implement a number of measures to help bring the epidemic under control.
Vladimir Putin addressed his fellow-countrymen earlier this month. He spoke about support measures for both ordinary Russians and small and medium-sized businesses which are facing adversity due to falling oil prices, the unstable ruble exchange rate and the COVID-19 epidemic. Credit holidays for people, increased unemployment benefits, assistance to families with children, and support for businesses are quite pleasant news items for the Russians.
At the same time, some experts believe that much more drastic measures should be taken in the fight against the coronavirus. In particular, economist Sergei Guriev said that introducing support measures for the residents was a good idea, and a tax for the rich was not bad, but the refusal to impose quarantine was a mistake. And that mistake on the part of Vladimir Putin is terrible.
“Some measures in President's address may be called absolutely right things to do,” said Sergei Guriyev. “Paying more benefits, as well as helping families with children and residents with loans are correct measures to implement.
“There is a message for people to read in Putin's decision to tax large deposits and dividends that drain to offshore tax havens: “I am trying to help the poor at the expense of the rich.”
“On the whole, this idea sounds not bad. The main reservation is that deposits above 1 mln rubles ($ 13,201.3) are unlikely to provide the budget with large revenues.
“The main idea in Putin’s address is that he declared the week from March 28 to April 5 as paid non-working days in Russia. It seems to me that the refusal to quarantine the nation is a terrible mistake by Vladimir Putin. Announcing the paid holidays looks very strange because a week off does not provide any guarantees that people will not leave home. Certainly, there is hope for the self-awareness of people. However, there might be those who go out. Among other things, many of them might use public transport.”