“On January 24th, 2016, a new edition of the anti-corruption law came into force. The Council of Ministers published a bill, ‘On Issues of Income and Property Declaration by State Officials and Other Citizens’. Tougher requirements have been placed on some categories of state officials in terms of anti-corruption legislation,” the Head of the Belarusian Ministry of Taxes and Duties’ Department of Individual Taxation, Mikhail Rassolko, announced.
The decree envisages new declarations which state officials will need to complete. “Responsible officials will have to provide special declarations which will include information not only on themselves but also their spouses and children older than 18 (who live with them in a common household), as well as under 18s,” Mr. Rassolko added. They are also obliged to declare property which they do not own but have used for over six months. According to Mr. Rassolko, responsible officials will have to provide information on the sources of money they used to buy the property. “The law details a long list of people to whom the new regulation applies. It primarily includes heads and deputy heads of state organisations,” he explained.
In line with the data provided by Belarus’ National Centre of Legal Information, the head of any state organisation is empowered to make decisions when checking declarations (submitted in the current calendar year) authorising the costs of property subject to obligatory declaration or other expenses against the income mentioned in the declaration.
