Evening star., 1938-12-26
world but they also are undoubtedly
the most heavily taxed.

the most heavily taxed.
There is unquestionably a greater
array OF direct and indirect imposts
in the Soviet Union than in any
other country, and hardly a minute
goes by for the Russian citizen
with the exception of the top stra-
tum of favored bureaucrats-that he
is not exploited by the state, the
superemployer owning and manag-
ing everything, to an extent which
would lead to an immediate revo-
luton in any democratic country.
The average monthly earnings Of
the great majority of Russian work.
ers range from 80 to $50 roubles,
or from $1.35 to $525 a week, meas
ured in purchasing power of 6 cents
per rouble. You'd think that's low
enough wage scale and, as I will
show, barely sufficient to keep body
and soul together, to say nothing
of clothing the body.
Never Gets Full Pay.
But the Russian worker never
actually gets his full pay. Every
month-Russians are paid on a
monthly instead of a weekly basis
about % per cent of his wage is
deducted in direct taxes and So
called loans" These direct levies
are over and above the numerous
indirect taxes which the govern
ment raises at every stage of pro-
duction and distribution, on the
profits of individual plants which
otherwise might have gone into
higher wages, on the prices of goods
which otherwise could be sold at
lower prices and every other form
af activity.
Let's take the average unskilled
Russian worker who earns 200
roubles a month, or SO week, and
see how much he actually gets and
what he can buy for his money.
About Sc roubles is deducted from
this workers pay as follows: State
loan, supposedly voluntary" but
woe to the man who balks at paying
it, 10 per cent or 20 roubles; in
come tax, per cent or 6 roubles:
educational tax, the same amount;
sick benefit tax, l per cent or Z
roubles; trade union fee, 2 per cent
or four roubles: special tax for the
support of military aviation, / per
cent or 2 roubles; special levy for
Spain, China or some other cause
currently being aided by the Soviets,
per cent or 16 roubleS
Only S216 Per Week.
The worker thus actually gets a
monthly salary of only IA roubles.
That is $216 a week.
Out of this he pays 10 per cent
or IA roubles for rent. Rent is one
OF the few things in Russia that is
reasonable, but the housing facil-
tiles are terrible and in the big cities
several people are usually crowded
into a single room. Electricity and
gas take another roubles. Ir
view of the low wage scales, most
wives are forced to work to bolster
the family income and they must
therefore employ maid to do the
housework. But only those who
make relatively lot of money car
afford a full-time maid. Severa,
working-class families usually pitch
in to employ maid. This takes of
another 10 roubles month.
After these deductions, the worker
is left 100 roubles. or $7.2O, for fooe
and incidentals for a whole month
Thirty roubles go for bread, which
varies in price from about 2 to 8
cents pound, depending on quality
The Russians are and always have
been heavy bread eaters, principally
because most of them don't get
much else to eat. Milk takes an
other 80 roubles month.
Meat Is Out of Diet.
Meat ranges in price from IS tc
30 cents a pound, and the average
Russian worker can't afford to cal
much of it. He probably eats meat
only twice a month or so, except
when he occasionally gets an ad-
| ditional small piece of meat float
ing in his cabbage soup served at
lunch in the shop. His meat bill
thus amounts to only Is roubles a
month. Tea and sugar account for
another 6 roubles
Cigarettes take Is roubles, and
that will buy only the cheapest kind