Fiscal Council says children most impoverished group in Serbia

NEWS 29.09.202212:55
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The Serbian Fiscal Council said the government should increase childcare payments to tackle poverty among children which it said are the worst affected social group.

According to the Fiscal Council, the poverty rate among children up to age 18 is 24.2 percent, higher than the 21.7 percent among the general population. It said that childcare payments should be increased by a fourth and the number of children covered increased from the current 245,000 to 415,000 and added that this would bring the poverty rate down to 19.1 percent.

It said that the reform fo the childcare payments system requires 14 billion Dinars (1 Euro – 117 Dinars) which could be secured from the 2023 budget. It warned that the numbers and hardship of elderly people who receive no pensions are being exaggerated and not enough attention is being paid to people who have very small pensions or have to support families, especially in rural areas.

The Fiscal Council said the strict criteria for social aid should be relaxed for the elderly.