Russia’s population is falling by 800,000 per year—a matter of great concern for President Vladimir Putin, who wants to ensure a steady supply of Russian soldiers for future generations.  He devised a scheme to increase the birth rate but, because a bone-headed error was made in the announcement and timing of the plan, he made a bad situation worse.

When Vladimir Putin announced hefty benefits for women who had a second child, his pliant parliament and the Russian media pronounced him a genius.

Far from halting one of the world's worst demographic crises, however, Mr Putin appears to have triggered a surge in abortions.
. . .
In a state of the nation address last spring, he proposed a package of incentives, including a £5,000 payout to mothers who give birth for a second time – in a country where average wages are just £150 a month.

The money, however, will only be eligible to those who give birth after January.

Vast numbers of women already pregnant decided to have an abortion because they were going to give birth before the cut-off date, maternity hospitals and regional legislators have claimed.

That’s why governments rarely reveal changes in corporate tax breaks well in advance of their implementation.  If it is announced that taxes will be reduced on business capital investment beginning, say, six months from now, firms will stop investing until the breaks come into effect.  (Needless to say, aborting unborn babies is rather more serious than postponing capital investments.)

Not only that, details of Putin’s baby bonuses were not made known at first.  The women who had abortions only later found out that payments are not made until the child’s third birthday, and that funds are not paid in cash but in certificates for education or mortgage payments.  Now many aren’t sure they want another baby after all.

Way to go, Vladimir.

The UN forecasts that Russia’s population, currently 142 million, will fall to below 100 million by 2050.

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