AZE.US
An Azerbaijani lawmaker has proposed gradually expanding the country’s definition of a large family, potentially allowing parents with three or more children to receive state benefits.
Member of Parliament Vugar Bayramov said the program should initially be extended to families with at least five children. The eligibility threshold could later be reduced to four children and eventually to three.
Benefits Currently Begin With the Sixth Child
Bayramov pointed to an inconsistency between two provisions of Azerbaijani law.
Under the Law on Labor Pensions, parents who have raised five or more children may qualify for certain pension privileges, including the right to retire five years earlier under specified conditions.
The Law on Social Benefits, however, applies the relevant payments to women raising more than five children. This means families generally qualify only after having a sixth child.
“We propose aligning the legislation by replacing the wording ‘more than five children’ with ‘five or more children,’” Bayramov said.
The change would allow families with exactly five children to become eligible for state support.
Recipient Count Could Rise to 24,000 Families
According to figures presented by the lawmaker, 13,325 families currently receive the benefit.
If eligibility is expanded to parents with five or more children, the number of families able to qualify could increase to approximately 24,000.
Bayramov argued that beginning with this limited expansion would prevent an excessive one-time burden on the state budget. The government could then evaluate the cost before extending the program to families with four and eventually three children.
More Than 250,000 Families Have at Least Three Children
Azerbaijan has more than 250,000 families raising three or more children, according to Bayramov.
Providing benefits to all of them immediately would require substantial additional spending. A phased approach would allow the government to forecast annual costs, identify funding sources and gradually prepare the state budget for broader family support.
AZE.US