Russian President Vladimir Putin instructed the government, together with the Central Bank, to amend the country's legislation to protect social payments from write-offs within the framework of enforcement proceedings on loans.

This was reported on the Kremlin website.

The head of state gave the deadline until February 1, 2022 to complete the task.

Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and Central Bank Chairman Elvira Nabiullina have been appointed responsible for the implementation of the order.

The proposal to prohibit the automatic write-off of social payments of citizens for debts was announced by Vladimir Putin on August 24 at the second stage of the United Russia congress.

As the Russian leader emphasized, it will be necessary to change the law immediately after the election of the new State Duma.

“The presidential decrees provide for the protection of special payments, lump sum payments from automatic write-off by financial organizations.

However, this is not properly regulated in the law, banking practice and regulatory framework.

We need to do this immediately, ”Putin said.

The Russian leader asked the banks to unconditionally comply with the requirements of the presidential decrees.

At the same time, the head of state instructed to return to the Russians payments previously written off in enforcement proceedings.

“The means of social support that were withdrawn from the accounts of citizens must be returned to them, this is their legitimate money.

Taking into account the banks' net profit, they will do it easily, ”noted Vladimir Putin.

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To fulfill the order, the President recommended that the Bank of Russia organize interaction with credit institutions.

The report on the return of social benefits will need to be submitted to the head of state by November 1, 2021, and in the future - once a quarter.

Elvira Nabiullina was also appointed responsible for the implementation of the task.

On September 10, United Russia submitted to the State Duma a bill banning the write-off of social benefits for debts.

As the head of the faction in the lower house of parliament Sergei Neverov noted, the previously adopted relevant laws prohibited the write-off of pensions, alimony, compensation for harm to health, benefits and a number of other payments.

Meanwhile, some lump-sum social payments fell outside the scope of these norms.

Against this background, Neverov noted that the bill will be one of the first on the agenda of the new convocation of the State Duma due to its social significance.

As emphasized in the "United Russia", it will be possible to send money in favor of the debt only with the voluntary written consent of the citizen, which he gives to the credit institution.

“This money is inviolable.

If the recipient wants, he can send them himself to pay off the debt, in part or in full.

The bill provides for this option.

But it is unacceptable and simply inhumane to automatically write them off within the framework of enforcement proceedings, forcibly, since in most cases they are vital for those to whom they are intended, ”said the secretary of the party's general council Andrei Turchak.

It is noteworthy that even with a voluntary consent to write off the payment, if the citizen's life situation has changed and he needs a refund of these funds, he will be able to contact the bank with an application within 14 days after the write-off.

The credit organization, in turn, will be obliged to return the money to the bank account of the Russian within three working days.

“The amounts of social transfers have not yet been properly protected from various penalties - fines, debts on housing and communal services, loans, court decisions. This money is targeted, but, unfortunately, there were cases when citizens had debts, especially during a pandemic, and money from the state could have become the only means of salvation, but the bailiffs took everything. Now this issue will be settled at the legislative level, "said Nikita Maslennikov, head of the Finance and Economics department at the Institute of Contemporary Development, in a conversation with RT.

Georgy Ostapkovich, director of the Center for Market Research at the Institute for Statistical Studies and Economics of Knowledge, NRU HSE, shares a similar point of view.

The expert considers the initiative to be a "reasonable maneuver" on the part of the state.

So, after the adoption of the law, people will feel more protected, the specialist is sure.

“There is such a concept as income, and about 65% of this amount is the wages of the population.

Next come the funds from renting out property, money received from entrepreneurial activities, and about 20% of the total income of Russians is social benefits.

These are pensions, pregnancy benefits and much more.

Now there will be a clear definition of these funds, and bailiffs and banks will not be able to withhold them, "Ostapkovich emphasized in an interview with RT.