The Fewer Official Millionaires, The Less Income for Everyone Else

Khmelnytsky Oblast State Tax Administration Chairman Volodymyr Korol told The Day on June 11 that 32 out of 345 enterprises operate at a profit of a million and up. He refrained from giving names, saying, “unless someone wishes to boast of his earnings.” He added that, as to the number of millionaires, the oblast center holds a commanding lead, followed by the district centers of Shepetivka, Kamyanetsk-Podilsky, and Slavuta. “Speaking of millionaires, things are quite better here than in neighboring Chernivtsi and Rivne oblasts, with 12 and 18 millionaires respectively.” The regional tax chief did not deny that this delicate information is bound to make an unforgettable impression on average citizens. Formerly the region’s patrons disclosed their annual incomes in the local press, which provoked the populace: why would they keep working if they receive only pennies? Incidentally, an average income in the oblast is UAH 167.71. Statisticians also offer their condolences to employees in the fuel and energy sector, tourism, public catering, agriculture, and nonferrous metals industry, whose income varied from 33.8% to 51.2 % of the oblast average. Far too meager were wages and salaries in the sectors of culture, art, health care, and social security, varying from 23% to 36% of the oblast average. There is no telling when the star of capitalism will shine upon the 262,400 workers in the oblast who are owed back pay, which, according to the oblast statistics department, amount to UAH 137 million. 29,600 of the region’s jobless residents are listed with the state employment service. The number of jobless increased by 0.5% as compared to last year’s figures. “There is no guessing what will happen after graduation from the universities, colleges, schools, and gymnasiums,” Khmelnytsky Employment Center Director Pylyp Krupa says grimly. He believes, “There will be no positive shifts, unless the number of official millionaires in the region grows at least tenfold.”