ZAGREB, Feb 21 (Hina) - A law on the child's allowance within parents' salaries, which was passed in 1977, is still in effect in Croatia, while a draft of the new law on the matter went through the first reading at the national
Parliament (Sabor) and is prepared for the second reading. Croatia's Office for the Protection of Family, Motherhood and the Youth, which made the final bill on the child's allowance, hoped that the new law would have come into effect on January 1 this year, but it is still unknown when the Sabor is to pass the new law, the Office's head, Stefanija Bortek-Knesaurek told Hina. Under the current law, exclusively employed parents can exercise the right to the child's allowance within their salaries, while the new draft bill envisages that not only employees, but also parents who are the unemployed or craftsmen and farmers will be entitled to this kind of allowance,
ZAGREB, Feb 21 (Hina) - A law on the child's allowance within
parents' salaries, which was passed in 1977, is still in effect in
Croatia, while a draft of the new law on the matter went through the
first reading at the national Parliament (Sabor) and is prepared
for the second reading.
Croatia's Office for the Protection of Family, Motherhood and the
Youth, which made the final bill on the child's allowance, hoped
that the new law would have come into effect on January 1 this year,
but it is still unknown when the Sabor is to pass the new law, the
Office's head, Stefanija Bortek-Knesaurek told Hina.
Under the current law, exclusively employed parents can exercise
the right to the child's allowance within their salaries, while the
new draft bill envisages that not only employees, but also parents
who are the unemployed or craftsmen and farmers will be entitled to
this kind of allowance, Mrs. Bortek-Knesaurek said.
The Croatian Institute for the Retirement Insurance (HZMO) that has
been in charge of payment of the child's allowance under the valid
law, confirmed that right to the child's allowance was being
exercised under the 1977 law.
The purpose of the new draft bill, which has both social and pro-
natal features, is to help jobless parents and parents who earn
their living as farmers as well as to help families with several
children or parents who decide to have more children, Mrs. Bortek-
Knesaurek stressed.
However, it is up to the Parliament to decide on the matter, she
added.
In 1998, 196,000 people received the child's allowance for about
370,000 kids.
Last year, an average child's allowance was 219 kuna (approximately
33 US dollars) per month. The highest allowance totalled 311.39
kuna (about US$47), while the lowest monthly amount of this
allowance was 115.85 kuna (about US$17). Even the lowest amount of
the child's allowance was recorded last year and it was 29 kuna
(less than 5 dollars), which was given to employed parents who
received other kinds of income, besides their regular monthly
salaries.
In the Croatian capital, about 60,000 citizens exercised the right
to the child's allowance last year.
In 1998, Croatia spent 526 million kuna (some US$80 million) for the
child's allowance, earmarking monthly 43 million kuna (less than 7
million dollars).
The state budget for this year is to allocate 100 percent more means
for this purpose.
The State is planning to ensure 1.26 billion kuna (approximately
180 million dollars) for the child's allowance, while the State
Family Protection Office has proposed 1.65 billion kuna to be spent
for this purpose in 1999, Mrs. Bortek-Knesaurek said.
The enforcement of the new law will be entrusted to this office,
while under the 1977 law, the Social Welfare Ministry has been
responsible for whether the law on the child's allowance be
respected.
The current law is covering only 35 percent of Croatian children and
20 percent of families, while the new draft bill envisages that
twice as much children may be covered by the child's allowance.
Mrs. Bortek-Knesaurek pointed to the absurdity of the current law
which requires that at least one of parents is employed and in case
both mother and father become jobless, they have no longer right to
this kind of the financial help for their kids.
(hina) ms