Deputies adopt bill on genocide of Belarusian people in two readings

14 декабря 2021

The main financial document of the country for the next year was adopted by deputies in the first reading. The national budget for 2022 is almost 28 billion in revenues and 30.5 billion in expenditures. The deficit could not be avoided, but there are reserves for growth.  

The budget was drawn on the basic scenario of the economic development. The main priorities are social protection of the population and the increase of the quality and the standard of life of the citizens: the national budget 2022 retains full social orientation. So, one of the tasks for the next year is to increase the real incomes of the population by 2%. Taking into account the today's realities (sanctions pressure and pandemic), the document also includes funds to support the real sector. 


Ludmila Nizhevich, Chair of the Standing Committee of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus:


An inertial economic development plan was adopted with a growth rate of 100.7%. With regard to various impacts on the economy and our enterprises, the national budget this year provides support for the real sector of the economy by 30% higher than in the same period in 2021. This is due primarily to the fact that we need to maintain the systemic measures that we already have, and targeted support to industries that will be most exposed to sanctions pressure and the epidemiological situation. 


Today the deputies also had the bill on the genocide of the Belarusian people on their agenda. It was passed in two readings at once. The document has an important political significance and is aimed at protecting the fundamental values of the Belarusian people and establishing effective barriers to attempts to falsify the historical memory. 


Ludmila Zdorikova, Deputy of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus:


Today the attempts of those who are trying to erase the events of those tragic days from memory or to rewrite the results of the WWII, to change the accents in these events, are not only immoral, but also criminal from our point of view. The bill recognizes the fact of the genocide of the Belarusian people and introduces criminal liability for denying the facts of genocide.


The lower house of Parliament also approved a bill on taxation in the first reading: a number of amendments to the Tax Code are expected next year. Also, a bill on free economic zones was considered in the second reading.