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Belarus raises minimum subsistence level to $68 per month

Belarus has increased the minimum subsistence level by 30 percent to 68 U.S. dollars per month

MINSK, October 31 (Itar-Tass) —— Belarus has increased the minimum subsistence level by 30 percent to 68 U.S. dollars per month. Under the Council of Ministers’ decision the new norm will be effective from November 1 to January 31.

The minimum subsistence was formed on the basis of September’s prices, an official at the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection said on Monday.

In particular, the indicator includes spending for food (58.4 percent), clothing and footwear (17.1 percent), payments for housing rent and communal services (nine percent), payments for household appliances, transport, health items and medicines, the official said.

According to the ministry, the government will also raise by 30 percent state payments to families and social pensions from November 1.

Proceeding from the Belarusian Statistics Service, the republic’s consumer prices grew by 74.5 percent in January-September, and by 87.1 percent from the beginning of the year till October 25. According to experts’ forecasts, this year’s inflation in the country is expected at 100 percent.

It has already been announced the growth of payments for all kinds of municipal transport from November, as well as significant hike of prices for tobacco, alcohol, diesel fuel and liquefied gas.

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