Charity as a business?

For a large part of the year, but especially during the holidays, for many companies or wealthier individuals, it comes to the fore to support initiatives, goals, and organizations which are important to them, with donations and offerings. The charity sector has grown enormous. Many of which see only thats positive side, although it also provides opportunities for tax avoidance, while (under with the law) shortening the budget by significant sums. After all, in most countries, including Hungary, if we donate to a charity, we can describe it from different public charges. It has also been argued that by supporting the charity with various tax technology solutions, the State is giving up the ability to decide on the use of resources democratically (i.e. through the representatives we directly elect). (Klaudia Kitti Gál) Read more…

Welfare sector in Belarus: consistent public policy in the budget sphere?

For a long time the Belarusian authorities characterized their national and subnational budgets with a welfare orientation. This brief note focuses on two questions: (i) what tendencies of social budgetary policy can be observed in the time of economic recession and (ii) how consistent was the welfare orientation of the central and local budgets in practice. Read more … (Yuri Krivorotko)