Mountain Law: 38,000 extra people enjoy state benefits

Georgia has updated its list of alpine villages, meaning an additional 38,000 citizens of Georgia can enjoy special benefits guaranteed by the new Mountain Law.

The decision to enlarge the list of mountainous villages was announced today at a meeting of the Georgian Government in Tbilisi.

Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili explained there was no database that named high alpine villages in the mountainous regions of the country, which subsequently meant the list of the people living in these villages was not complete.

This was an issue as the recently instated Mountain Law offered state benefits to people living in high mountain areas therefore the list needed to be updated, he said.

Initially the list identified 1,582 high mountain villages but today an additional 99 villages was added to the list. Residents of these 99 villages will now be able to reap the benefits of the new Mountain Law.

Parliament of Georgia adopted the law on the development of Georgia’s mountain regions in July 2015. It came into force on January 1, 2016.

According to the bill, an area is considered as mountainous if it is situated 1,500m above sea level, however in some exceptional cases this can be reduced to 800m.

Now the residents of additional 99 villages will be able to reap the benefits of the new Mountain Law. The view of alpine Juta village. Photo by N.Alavidze/Agenda.ge.

Here is the part of the benefits for the alpine population of Georgia:

• Each family in the country’s mountain regions will receive 100 GEL monthly financial aid from the state for two years following the birth of every newborn child. This financial aid will increase to GEL 200 for every third, fourth and subsequent children.
• Mountain residents will enjoy a non-taxable income if their salary is 6,000 GEL or lower.
• Individuals and legal entities in mountain regions will be exempted from profit tax for 10 years.
• Those who permanently live in a mountain region will be exempt from property tax for any land they own. 
• State-funded schools and other educational institutions in mountainous regions will enjoy increased vouchers.
• Doctors in mountain regions will receive a supplemental salary twice as high as the state pension, while nurses will receive a supplemental salary as high as the state pension.
• People living in the mountain regions will enjoy 20 percent higher pensions and social assistance.
• The Government will partially fund heating expenses for the mountain population during winter months.
• Teachers in mountain regions will enjoy a supplemental salary as high as at least 35 percent of their original salary.
• Teachers in mountain regions who participate in programs initiated by the country’s Education Ministry will see their salary increased by 50 percent.
• Those living in mountain regions will get 50 percent of their electricity expenses funded by the Government.