This was stated by MP from the Opposition Bloc Serhiy Lovochkin.

“Inflation of seven months of 2017 – 8.2% – has already “eaten” all increases in minimum pensions and benefits tied to the subsistence level,” the politician emphasized.

According to the MP, to compensate for inflation of 2014-2017, the Opposition Bloc faction will require in September to consider in parliament a draft law on raising minimum social standards to the level of the real subsistence minimum. In particular, the minimum pension – up to UAH 3,5 thousand.

“The authorities are distributing promises of “golden mountains” for people, while acknowledging that it actually makes them poorer. It is a fact that the inflation rate for the seven months of 2017 – 8.2% – is already higher than the one that was laid in the budget (8.1%). As a result, the May increase of 5.2% of minimum social standards based on the subsistence minimum by 5.2% does not compensate for the increase in prices. Moreover, the real minimum pensions and a number of other social benefits are already 3% lower than at the end of 2016,” Serhiy Lovochkin emphasized.

At the same time, according to him, if we take the consumption of the most underprivileged layers of the population, then their real incomes have suffered even more, because the greatest was the rise in price of food products – their main expenditure items. Since the beginning of the year, food products have grown in price by as much as 12.6%. Especially, according to State Statistics Service, meat prices increased (+ 20.4%), fruits (+ 50.5%) and vegetables (+ 55.6%).

“The situation looks even worse if we take it in the context of the last three and a half years. Inflation for this period was 117%, and subsistence minimum indicators, including minimum pensions, increased by 38%. Moreover, there are social benefits (for example, allowances for the birth of a child), which have not been raised since 2014,” the politician added.

“All this makes the issue of raising pensions and social payments relevant not in December (as budgeted) and not in October (as the government promises), but already in the first days of the new session of the parliament. Our faction will demand this. And it should not be about “modernizing”, which only means reaching a level of modern poverty. It is necessary to raise the question of social standards that correspond to the real subsistence level, that is, in particular, about a minimum pension of UAH 3,500. This is the only way to return the people’s standard of living to the indicators of 2013. All the rest is deceit,” Serhiy Lovochkin considers.