Lukashenko: Housing subsidies are meant primarily for big families

IVATSEVICHI, 23 November (BelTA) – Government subsidies for housing purposes will be provided primarily to families with many children, President of the Republic of Belarus Mr Alexander Lukashenko said as he visited OAO Ivatsevichdrev on 23 November, BelTA has learnt. “If we have more money we will provide more subsidies for families with three and more children. This is the number one priority,” the head of state said. One of young employees of the company asked the President about state support for housing construction. Alexander Lukashenko explained that high interest rates on housing loans are attributed to high interest rates on deposits. There is also a waiting list of people who are entitled to preferential terms on housing loans. Subsidized interest rates are an additional burden on the budget. “It means we should increase taxes. This is the problem. Indeed, there were many easy and cheap loans in the past. They led us to the devaluation of the national currency. I do not want it to happen again,” Alexander Lukashenko said. The President noted that the state will keep helping certain groups of people to buy an apartment, especially families with many children. The local authorities reported that the people placed on the preferential waiting list in Ivatsevichi District usually get an apartment within two or three years. Talking about the overall living standards of Belarusian residents, Alexander Lukashenko focused on the development of export-oriented companies that use local raw materials. “They need to earn, produce and export more,” he said.

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