Skip to content
Technology & Innovation —

Russia PM: Let’s Multiply The Divorce Tax By About 100

Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev proposed the hike so that more people will “switch on [their] brain” when entering a marriage. It’s part of a growing trend towards increased social conservatism.
Sign up for Big Think on Substack
The most surprising and impactful new stories delivered to your inbox every week, for free.

What’s the Latest Development?

Speaking to members of Russia’s upper house of Parliament today (Sept. 23), Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev proposed a raise in the divorce tax to 30,000 rubles (about US$942), a figure about 100 times the current amount. No date has been set for discussion, but if the idea were to be adopted, it could raise a significant amount of money at a time of economic slowdown and a divorce rate of around 50 percent. Since the average monthly salary is 27,000 rubles, the tax could serve as a deterrent both to divorcing and to marrying in haste. Says Medvedev: “You should switch on your brain when registering a marriage, otherwise you’d have to pay more for ending it.”

What’s the Big Idea?

The prime minister’s suggestion is only the latest in a wave of recent socially conservative actions taking place in Russia affecting gay rights, abortion access, and freedom of speech, among others. Last week President Vladimir Putin criticized the West for letting go of traditional Christian values. In June, he and his wife Lyudmila announced the end of their 30-year marriage.

Photo Credit: Shutterstock.com

Read it at The Wall Street Journal

Sign up for Big Think on Substack
The most surprising and impactful new stories delivered to your inbox every week, for free.
Related
A bearded man wearing glasses and a plaid shirt speaks with a microphone clipped to his collar in front of a purple background with white dots.
The Well
How Rainn Wilson discovered sacredness
The hospital where Rainn Wilson’s wife and son nearly died became his own personal holy site. There, he discovered that the sacred can exist in places we least expect it. During his talk at A Night of Awe and Wonder, he explained how the awe we feel in moments of courage and love is moral beauty — and following it might be the start of our spiritual revolution.
▸
13 min
—
with
Rainn Wilson
Up Next