"I believe that I will succeed in making all adult citizens happy," said the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, in a guest appearance on RTS.
He added that he could not say more precisely what it was about, but what he gave away was the economic and legal unknown in democratic countries. And that is that these measures will not be financed with funds from the budget, so, the president explained, no one would think that they are pre-election moves. He did not elaborate on whether they would share money, goods or services.
Nemanja Nenadić from the organization "Transparency Serbia" tells "Vreme" that this statement could be interpreted as an announcement of a new lex specialist.
"The only option that seems possible is to change the existing laws," says Nenadić for "Vreme". "If, for example, a new law were to decide that the money received from the Lotto would not go to the budget, but to a new fund."
Lex specialis SNS has already mastered the General Staff, Belgrade on the water i Expo.
"A gift from the state"
There is also the possibility, adds Nenadić, that the state will sell a large company of which it is the majority owner and that the shares of small shareholders - citizens of full age in Serbia - will also be sold in the package.
"However, it would not be a gift from the state in the true sense, but a distribution of part of our common property," explains Nenadić.
Economist Saša Đogović says for "Vreme" that there is a possibility that Vučić is just trying to technically get away with giving the citizens some money from borrowing, which has been removed in the meantime and is in the account of the Ministry of Finance, i.e. the Government of Serbia.
"These can be some kind of reserves for crisis situations," Đogović thinks. "With the difference that this is not a crisis situation for citizens, but for the government and a populist measure that should ensure the loyalty of pensioners."
Economic or political crisis
Experts have already appealed that giving money to all citizens is not a good economic measure, because simply not everyone needs help or the same amount of help. This measure irresistibly recalls the partition "money helicopter" from 2020 and 2021, when Serbia, as well as many other countries of the world, reached for this measure in order to pull the economy out of recession.
The term "helicopter money" was not invented by Vučić, but neither were economists during the period coronavirus pandemic. This term was introduced in 1969 by the economist Milton Friedman, and the metaphor refers to the imaginary throwing of money from a helicopter so that citizens would spend it immediately.
Thus, state aid during the coronavirus pandemic in Serbia included multiple payments to citizens, including 100 euros, 30+30 euros, 20 euros, and support for the economy through deferred taxes and minimum wages. Special packages focused on vouchers for the vaccinated and the young.
"During the years of the pandemic, giving money to everyone could be justified, but now there is no economic reason, only a political one, because we have elections ahead of us," adds Đogović. "The decision to subsidize tourist vouchers in a year when tourism is not in crisis sounds similar. It seems that the state will once again realize private interests from a buffer."
Real journalism costs money, and we will not be bought by tycoons and corporations. Support us with a one-time or monthly donation. The time for it is now!
