Yeltsin Says Officials Must Report All Income

Seeking to restore faith in his government after five years of widespread corruption, Russian President Boris N. Yeltsin ordered thousands of public officials Friday to declare all their personal income and property.

“It is my task to put an end to the situation when civil service becomes a source of enrichment,” Yeltsin declared in a nationwide radio address.

Officials from the president on down will be required to report their family income and holdings as well as their personal financial status, under a decree signed by Yeltsin.

Government corruption has flourished in Russia for hundreds of years - thriving during czarist times, the Soviet era and now under modern capitalism.

Most Russians believe their tax payments go only to line the pockets and build the personal dachas of public officials. With little trust in their leaders, more than 80 percent of Russians cheat on their taxes - contributing to a fiscal crisis that has virtually paralyzed the government.