State Duma MPs, who visited Rostov Region, offer to increase financial aid to Ukrainian refugees

The MPs of the Russian State Duma Vladimir Pligin, Andrei Isaev and Alexander Sidyakin are preparing an appeal to the government to increase the financial aid to the Rostov Region, which is accommodating Ukrainian citizens. The MPs decided to do it after visiting the border checkpoint "Matveev Kurgan" and one of the temporary accommodation centres (TACs) opened for refugees.

The parliamentarians made their working visit to the Rostov Region on July 30. Andrei Isaev, who is the head of the State Duma's Committee on Labour, Social Policy and Veterans' Matters, said that with the start of autumn tent camps would not be able to exist. Also, it would be necessary to free schools and hostels from refugees, so that they could prepare for the school year. All of this will require a major cash inflow; while the Rostov Region alone cannot cope with such financial burden.

Also, in his opinion, Moscow should compensate to the Rostov Region the latter's expenses on rendering medical aid to citizens of Ukraine.

Another problem for the refugees arriving in the Rostov Region is the income tax of 30 percent established for foreign workers. According to Isaev "it would be worth to make for refugees the same as for the citizens of the Russian Federation, that is, 13 percent."

The MPs did not specify the schedule of their further actions of formulating the proposals and submitting them to the Russian government; however, they noted that "the work in this direction would be operative."