Care or mockery?

• 28.10.2013, 7:54

Belarusbank offers a discount on meat and fish for holders of bank cards “For Pensioners”.

Charter97.org learnt that pensioners have a 2% discount on meat and fish if they pay by card at a local shopping centre in the town of Rassony (the Vitesbk region). “The discount looks like a derision! If a kilogramme of sausages costs 50,000 rubles, the discount will be only 1,000 rubles – the cost of a few matchboxes. Good care,” pensioners say.

Belarus is the leader in price growth among the CIS and EU countries. Only Ukraine have lower pensions, but food prices are lower too. Belarusian pensioners mostly buy milk and bread. Not many pensioners can afford meat or fish, especially in large amounts. So the discount really seems to be a mockery as well as a 5% increase in pensions in November.