“Just PR and no benefit to the economy”: Expert Criticizes Government Programs for Social Support of Ukrainians
24 March 14:32
Economist Oleg Getman criticized government social support programs for Ukrainians, such as “Winter Support” and “National Cashback.” He made these remarks in an interview with the YouTube channel "Komersant Ukrainian".
“Programs such as ‘National Cashback’ or ‘Winter Support’ do not bring significant benefit to the state. By and large, they have no impact on macroeconomic indicators. The only thing these initiatives offer is a PR effect,” the expert noted.
He emphasized that the resources allocated to such projects could be used much more effectively—in particular, to finance the defense sector, develop technologies, and achieve a real recovery in production.
Separately, the economist drew attention to the problem of unequal conditions for businesses created by initiatives that offer cashback to consumers.
“The situation with cashback is even more complicated. The program is intended only for medium and large businesses under the general taxation system. Meanwhile, those under the simplified tax system are effectively excluded from this process. So, in essence, cashback, in addition to being an inefficient use of funds, also creates unequal competition. It is discriminatory toward microbusinesses,” concluded Oleg Getman.
