The minimum rate for wages in Syria is 300% bellow minimum living standards
The question of increasing wages and linking the minimum rates of wages to the minimum standard of living is considered one of the main issues debated in Syria.
Statistics indicate that the minimum rate for wages in Syria is 300% bellow minimum living standards requirements, while the accumulated gap between the increase in prices and the wages since 1985 until today reaches 200%.
A study conducted by the " Syrian economic center" said that expenditures on food per individual increased since 1985 until today by 567%, while the minimum rate of the income increased at 342% only, which means that the difference between the increase of prices and the increase of wages has practically jumped to 200%.
The central bureau for statistics and the World Bank set the poverty line at 1,500 Syrian pound per capita monthly ( US $ 30 ) which is the minimum rate of foodstuffs in Syria. The minimum rate of wages in Syria after the recent salary increase is 3,045 Syrian pounds.
The study which was made by one of the center's staff " Mrs. Maysoun Jazar noted that " according to today's prices each person needs 100 Syrian pounds per day as costs for food and other expenditures which is equal to 3,000 Syrian pounds every month. On the ground that the average number of families in Syria is six so that the minimum rate of living is 18,000 Syrian pounds per month.
The study added is we presume that two persons are working in one family the income of this family will be 6,065 Syrian pounds and the share of each person of the minimum rate of wages per month is 1,011 Syrian pounds, which means that costs of the minimum rate of living practically exceeds the minimum rate of wages at almost 279%. " However, reports of the " World Bank " indicate that 22% of the Syrians are living at the poverty level which means that there is a violation in the pursued economic policies that resulted in the deterioration of the living conditions of workers.
The study attributed the reasons behind the deterioration of the actual value of wages to several factors among which are: the current taxation policy which is borne by people of limited income. The researcher ( Maysoun Jazar) said: " the laws which are pertinent to this matter has become irrelevant to reason and logic, as the minimum rate exempted from tax is the same since the 1950s of the last century despite the great change on the condition of the Syrian pound in comparison with other currencies." What is amazing is that people of limited income pay their taxes fully to the state while most of people of unlimited income almost escape this tax.
The study finds out that among the main results of freezing the wages is " the increased poverty, deterioration of the living conditions and the increase in the rate of thefts, bribes and crimes," besides the " decrease in production, the increase in accumulated products because of the decrease of purchase."
However, number of state's employees amounts to 1.5 million, and according to the " extended family principle" families of these workers constitute 6 million inhabitants, representing almost 40% of the country's total population."
Jazar added " if we presume that workers in the private sector also have the same rate of 40%, this means that 80% of the population are people of limited income, while the other 20% are the owners of capitals and get the great share of the GNP in forms of profits.
Statistics at the ministry of finance say that 60% of the local product is exempted from taxation while the income tax is taken before hand from the wages of the state employees. However, the minimum rate of the tax is still 100 Syrian pound per month.