Recognizing it as necessary to proceed with the most vigorous measures for the purpose of reducing the salaries of higher officials and functionaries in all without exception state, public, and private institutions and enterprises, the Council of People's Commissars decrees:

1) to establish a maximum salary for People's Commissars of 500 rubles per month for those without children and an additional 100 rubles for each child; apartments are permitted of no more than 1 room for each family member; 2) to appeal to all local Soviets of workers', soldiers', and peasants' deputies with a request to prepare and carry out revolutionary measures for special taxation of higher officials; 3) to entrust the Ministry of Finance with preparing a general legislative draft on such a reduction; 4) to entrust the Ministry of Finance and all individual commissars to immediately examine the budgets of the ministries and cut all excessively high salaries and pensions.

Written November 18 (December 1), 1917

First published in 1933 in Lenin Miscellany XXI

Printed from the manuscript