Conscience will not allow: why Razumkov refuses Zelensky’s “thousand” and what Ukrainians spend their money on
13 December 2024 15:06
MPs are also offered a thousand hryvnias as part of the eSupport program. This was stated by Dmytro Razumkov, Member of Parliament of Ukraine and chairman of the inter-factional association “Smart Politics,” in a commentary on the YouTube channel “News Factory .” "Komersant Ukrainian" investigated whether MPs will take advantage of the state’s assistance, what Ukrainians are already spending the “Zelenskyi’s thousand” on, and why information about “not taking money” is being spread online.
MPs and officials are no exception. Dmytro Razumkov confirmed that he had also been offered to take advantage of state aid, but he would not touch the money.
“Yes, I have also been offered a thousand from Zelensky. I will definitely not receive it. My conscience will not allow it. I think it’s a shame when Zelensky can receive it, as well as Fedorov, Kolomoisky, and Shmyhal. And even Leshchenko, who receives 300 or 500 thousand per month,” says Dmytro Razumkov.
This is not help for people, but a PR campaign for the government, Razumkov emphasizes. According to the politician, Ukrainians are being “given” 1000 hryvnias with one hand, while the other hand is increasing taxes to cover these payments.
“Taxes have been raised for each of us. For example, out of every 10,000 hryvnias, we will now have to pay an additional 350 hryvnias per month. For teachers, this thousand will be returned to Zelensky in a month and a half, for doctors – in a month, for those who receive an average salary – in about a month and 10 days,” Razumkov emphasized.
He also noted that initially it was planned that even the military would pay higher taxes to cover these costs, but thanks to the efforts of MPs, this provision was removed from the draft law.
What Ukrainians spend Zelensky’s thousand on
In his evening address to the nation, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported on the successful development of the ePromise program. According to him, as of the tenth day of the program, almost 6.5 million Ukrainians have already applied for eSupport, including 1.6 million applications for children.
“The pace of the program’s development meets our expectations, and it is obvious that people need it. The first payments are already underway. We see that about half of the funds are used by Ukrainians to pay for utilities. A significant portion goes to support volunteer funds, and this is very important, because people are helping our army in this way,” the head of state noted.
According to the President, the program can be used for three winter months and the funds can be spent over the next year.
Marked money and personal data: why Ukrainians are afraid
“Think twice before taking 1000 hryvnias.” Such warnings are circulating on social media. Among the main reasons for concern are fears of possible government control over citizens’ bank accounts. In particular, some experts and opposition MPs have pointed out that in order to open a special National Cashback card, a person must give permission to transfer data on all transactions on their cards.
Opposition MP Volodymyr Ariev published screenshots of an agreement with one of the banks, which stated that the client agrees to disclose bank secrecy and transfer data on all his financial transactions. This information caused concern, because the money from ePerformance is transferred exclusively to such a card, and it is impossible to receive it in cash.
“If you are ready to give the state full control over your money for a thousand hryvnias, then come forward. If you still want to take it to give it to volunteers, then the answer is simple for me – why pass money for the Armed Forces through citizens if it can go directly to defense from the budget? Moreover, the list of funds is limited by the government itself,” Volodymyr Ariev said.
