President Vladimir Putin raised income tax for wealthy Russians and offered new state handouts to families with children on Tuesday, days before the country votes on reforms that could keep him in power until 2036.
In a televised speech to the nation, Putin, 67, said Russia’s response to the coronavirus crisis had saved tens of thousands of lives and he ordered the extension of several support measures to cushion the economic fallout.
The move, to be introduced from January, is likely to play well with voters frustrated by years of falling incomes. Many also dislike the class of wealthy businessmen which sprang up after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Putin promised to expand a programme to help families with mortgages and to offer a one-off payment next month of 10,000 roubles for each child they have aged up to 16, measures he said would help them weather the fallout from the coronavirus crisis.
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