State social standards and norms in the system of social protection

The article analyses the concepts of social standards and norms, the subsistence minimum as one of the basic indicators for providing various types of benefits, their objectives, scope and peculiarities of legal regulation. The formation of a system of social standards and norms and the role of the subsistence minimum in social protection of citizens are studied. A state that recognises itself as a state governed by the rule of law and social justice must ensure a living wage that covers the real basic needs of its citizens. The basic social standard should embody the idea of social justice and equalise incomes by means of its real size. Social payments from the state budget should not vary hundreds or thousands of times in material payments to different segments of the population where the subsistence minimum is used as the state standard. It is emphasised that the legislator uses a diverse approach to determining the level of low- income citizens, since it is not the same in legal acts, and the subsistence minimum is recognised as the main social standard at the state level. It is noted that the subsistence level set by the Law of Ukraine «On the State Budget for the respective year» is almost half as low as the actual cost of living of the main population groups. Most social payments do not meet the basic needs of citizens and their families, and state budget funds are distributed in violation of the principle of social justice, which leads to dissatisfaction among a significant number of citizens. The state reduction of the social standards of the population is proved. It is concluded that basic social standards and norms should be revised towards their increase to ensure a decent standard of living for citizens. It is proposed to adhere to the principle of social justice when assigning various types of payments provided at the expense of the State budget in order to reduce social tension in society. The State must comply with the constitutional provision on ensuring the standard of living of citizens for themselves and their families, as set out in Article 48 of the Basic Law.