Diploma tax

The diploma tax is an informal reference to the one-time payment imposed in the Soviet Union on would-be emigrants who received a higher education in the USSR. It was introduced in August 1972.[1] While the professed justification for this tax was to repay state expenses for public education, this measure was designed to combat the brain drain caused by the growing emigration of Soviet Jews and other members of the intelligentsia to the West.[2] The accompanying Instruction issued the same day set the fee to 12,200 roubles (an average monthly salary was 130-150 roubles).[3]

This development caused international protests. Twenty-one United States Nobel Laureates issued a public statement condemning it as a "massive violation of human rights."

It is believed that item 3 of the Jackson–Vanik amendment addressed the issue. [2]

Abolishment

Under the international pressure, the Soviet government abolished the tax. The declassified KGB archives tell the story how it happened.[2]

Leonid Brezhnev ordered the KGB to study the Jewish emigration in order to make a decision on the issue of the diploma tax. The report was presented to Politburo on March 20, 1973, just before the introduction of the Jackson-Vanik Amendment in Congress. The findings were surprising: the vast majority of the Jews applying to visas were not educated professionals, but salesmen and people of minor trades. In 1972, of about 29,000 emigrants only 13.5% had university diploma; and only 30 persons had kandidat nauk or doktor nauk (equivalents of Ph.D. or higher) degree.[2][3]

Brezhnev, demonstrating knowledge of the internal works of the American politics, mentioned Jackson-Vanik when arguing the repeal of the tax, apparently trying to prevent the amendment. Yuri Andropov was against the repeal of the tax, arguing it would look as sign of weakness. Eventually, the same day it was announced that the diploma tax would remain "in the books" but not be enforced.[2]

gollark: Or, practically, different amounts of each.
gollark: So you can choose to buy water or not-water.
gollark: Like I said, I also support UBI or similar "free money" policies.
gollark: In theory you could get better efficiency out of dictatorial central planning, but it's a hard computational problem and has various practical issues beyond that.
gollark: I am personally fairly happy with exchanging money for goods and services.

See also

References
  1. Указ Президиума Верховного Совета СССР от 3 августа 1972 года «О возмещении гражданами СССР, выезжающими на постоянное жительство за границу, государственных затрат на обучение» , Ведомости Верховного Совета СССР, 1972, no. 52, p. 519
  2. "Declassified KGB Study Illuminates Early Years of Soviet Jewish Emigration", Sana Krasikov, December 12, 2007 (retrieved May 31, 2015)
  3. "СПИСОК БРЕЖНЕВА", Novaya Gazeta, March 13, 2006 (retrieved May 31, 2015)
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