The state, according to the Constitution, guarantees the receipt of a minimum cash income in the form of wages for working citizens and pensions, benefits and other social benefits for the corresponding categories of the population. To determine the size of these payments, you need to know the cost of living. This is the amount required to maintain human health and livelihoods. To establish the cost of living, the concept of a consumer basket is introduced. What does it mean?
Consumer basket - this is the minimum necessary set of products, services and non-food products that allows you to carry out vital activities and maintain human health. Its value in monetary terms is the cost of living. In our country, this concept was introduced in 1997 by Federal Law No. 134-FZ. According to him, the composition of the consumer basket is determined at least every five years.
The quantitative and qualitative "content" of the consumer basket is established on the basis of special guidelines developed by the government with the participation of trade union associations. These recommendations determine the content of the consumer basket across the country as a whole and separately for each subject of the Russian Federation, taking into account local conditions and traditions, as well as the level of economic development of a particular region.
The consumer basket, according to the Methodological Recommendations, is compiled taking into account scientific data on the physical norms of consumption of basic products, statistical information on the actual consumption of goods and services in low-income families, and the state's ability to provide the necessary level of social protection.
The calculation is made separately for each of the three socio-demographic groups:
- The working population (this includes men under 59 years old, women under 54 years old). Disabled persons 1 and 2 gr are not included in this group .
- Retired (by age or disability).
- Children under 15 years.
Food products and other goods that make up the required minimum are grouped. Their number is given in physical terms.
The basis of the list is a food basket. Products are divided into categories, each of which has its own consumption standards. These are bread, cereals, pasta, legumes, potatoes, fresh vegetables and fruits, confectionery, sugar, meat and fish products, eggs, milk and dairy products, butter and other fats, as well as tea, salt, spices and so on. Consumption rates are given in kilograms per year (eggs in pieces) for each of the three population groups separately in the form of a table.
In addition to products, the consumer basket includes a set of services and non-food products. These are clothes, shoes, underwear and hats, haberdashery goods, as well as stationery, household goods, medicines and basic necessities. For each type of product, the ratio of the minimum required quantity in pieces (shoes - in pairs) to the standard wear period in years is given. So, the number of outerwear for the working population is set to 3 pieces for a period of 7.6 years, for pensioners - the same amount for 8.7 years. Both pairs of shoes are required 6 pairs each (working for 3.2 years, senior citizens for 3.5 years), etc.
Expenditures on medicines and sanitation are planned as a percentage of total non-food expenses and make up 10% for the working group and 15% for pensioners.
The consumer basket also provides for the costs of housing and communal services in accordance with applicable standards, transport (measured by the number of trips per year), cultural services (their value is set at 5% of the total cost of services).
Despite the mandatory legislative review of the composition of the consumer basket once every 5 years, its contents are for 2011-2012. has not changed compared to 2006. Experts explain this by the need to introduce a new regulatory and statistical method of calculation, which will be introduced in 2013. It aims to bridge the gap between the planned and actual levels of consumption of goods and services and provide greater freedom for the regions.