State Duma introduced a law in third reading, that will freeze the effect of rule on the annual increase in the amount of the maternity fund in order to set off losses from inflation up to 2020, informs TASS.
In October, 2016 the bill prepared by Labor Department was passed by government committee. That time it was said, that refusal of maternity fund indexation had to be passed with «consideration of financial-economic situation in the country».
Maternity fund, which all families where second child was born or adopted have the right to get, was introduced in Russia in 2007, and that time its amount was 250,000 rubles. The following years the amount of maternity fund increased annually and in 2015 grew to 453, 000 rubles.
In 2016 maternity fund was planned to be increased on 4,8% up to 475,000 rubles, however, the government refused to peg it. Initially it was supposed, that indexation freezing would be carried out only for one year, however at the end of September 2016 the head of Labor Department Maksim Topilin said that there would be no indexation in 2017 either.
Later Topilin explained prolonging indexation freezing of maternity fund referring to its purpose — the fund is primarily used on house-buying, but the prices on accommodation lately haven’t been growing.
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