In Ukraine, the official subsistence minimum standards remain far from reality. This was stated by the Chairman of the Finance Committee of the Verkhovna Rada, Danylo Hetmantsev, commenting on the current consumer basket standards and financial calculations used to determine state support.
According to current regulations, a teenager in Ukraine is entitled to one winter jacket for three years, as well as one demi-season jacket — also for three years. For an adult woman, the state provides only two suits or dresses for seven years. These figures look absurd, especially against the backdrop of inflation, wartime, and rising prices for basic items.
Hetmantsev admitted that the current subsistence minimum, set in the budget at about 2,900 hryvnias per month, is completely divorced from reality. "This is an abstract category. It is impossible to live on this money. And even on the actual subsistence minimum, which is 3.5 times higher, it is also difficult to live. This is something from the imagination of an official," he said.
At the same time, the official stressed that the government is aware of the need to revise the subsistence minimum and actually meet social standards. But, according to Hetmantsev, there are simply "no funds" for this at the moment.
This statement once again raises the issue of social justice in the country. The subsistence minimum serves as the basis for calculating pensions, scholarships, benefits, and salaries in the budgetary sphere. Its underestimation directly affects the most vulnerable categories of the population - pensioners, children, and low-income families.
Public organizations and trade unions have repeatedly called for a review of the methodology for forming the consumer basket and for establishing minimum social standards in accordance with real prices for goods and services. However, the state continues to operate with figures that increasingly resemble economic mystification.
