Law on parasitism in the Russian Federation. Will a tax for parasitism be introduced in Russia, as in Belarus? Who refuses to pay tax for parasitism?

The bill on fines for unemployed citizens appeared on the State Duma agenda almost simultaneously with its adoption.

And even with the most superficial examination one can understand that this is not accidental. Now, according to the authorities, the self-employed are provided with such a preferential and convenient special tax regime that they could not even dream of before. But if it is not suitable for someone, if the false unemployed person does not want to be legalized in this case, then, excuse me, please pay the fine. This is precisely the logic behind the new parliamentary initiative.

The essence of the proposed bill is to oblige unemployed Russians to pay insurance contributions to the Pension Fund, Social Insurance Fund and Mandatory Medical Insurance Fund. And if such people do not want to pay, they will be fined, just like tax evaders.

Similar ideas were worked out in the government several years ago. In particular, they were voiced by the Minister of Labor and Social Protection Maxim Topilin, Deputy Prime Minister Olga Golodets; They were supported then by the Ministry of Finance. But then these plans were postponed indefinitely, wisely deciding to approach the problem from the other end - to first give the self-employed the opportunity to work legally.

When will it take effect?

And will it be introduced at all?
Not all experts believe in the possibility of introducing such a law, since it would be very unpopular with a significant part of the population. At the same time, if you look at the situation from the other side, the authorities may not have an alternative to this innovation, naturally, with certain changes, clarifications and additions. Of course, if the “law on the self-employed” does not work. Moreover, the experimental law being introduced will not be out of nowhere. The practice of its application can be borrowed from the union state of Belarus. There, however, the “tax on parasitism” was abolished, but some experience remained.

When?
Again, if officially unemployed citizens do not rush to submit reports to the tax authorities under the special regime established on January 1, 2019, then it is likely to expect a fairly quick reaction to such developments. Of course, it is impossible to give any exact dates yet, but it is possible that already in 2020 some of the provisions on taxation of the unemployed will be introduced.

Here we cannot help but remember that the deputies are in the mood to put forward initiatives on fines. More recently, when considering the above-mentioned law “On Tax on Professional Income,” a proposal was put forward for the complete confiscation of earnings in areas with shadow employment.

Who will it affect?

According to the bill put forward by deputy Sergei Vostretsov, taxes and fines will concern:

Citizens engaged in professional work, but not registered as such with the tax office.
- Adults, but not having student status.
- Healthy unemployed citizens who are not registered with the Employment Center (Labor Exchange) and who are not disabled.

Accordingly, certain groups of the population will be exempt from the unemployment tax:

Working and non-working pensioners and disabled people.
- Persons receiving social pensions.
- Those who do not work due to training, advanced training, or due to caring for a sick relative.
- Single mothers; dependent persons.
- Women caring for children under 7 years of age who do not attend kindergarten...

As these proposals get closer to implementation, all provisions will be clarified. Moneyinformer will follow the news.

On April 2, 2015, according to the order of President Lukashenko of Belarus, a law came into force stating that it is possible to introduce a basic decree on the prevention of social dependency, or parasitism in other words.

He introduced the right to collect (contractual agreement), which amounts to 4.2 million rubles, it can be paid over a period of time, no discount is provided. Everyone who falls into this category must pay it; payment is made to the tax service. You have to pay a large or small fee, but every parasite is obliged to do it.

First there is a warning, and then a fee, because the main thing for a person is employment. The amount of taxation is provided for by law; new laws may be developed in 2018.

Who will pay the tax on parasitism in Belarus 2018?

A Belarusian who did not work more than 183 days a year will pay. The list of exceptions includes minors, disabled people, pensioners, students or those citizens who left Belarus for a period of more than 183 days. It is not known when the country will be exempt from the tax, as long as it is included in the number of countries in whose territories the payment of the tax on parasitism applies.

Last news

The Chairman of the Constitutional Court of Belarus reported that the implementation of the “decree on parasitism” does not violate the Constitution. Adopting a tax on parasitism in Belarus 2018, the latest news is that the adoption of the decree leads to changes in the code. Miklashevich said that unemployment has been minimized due to the real opportunity to work. The fee will be 4.2 million rubles, every parasite must pay. You can read more in the news. Also, a video about the tax was shot with the representative of Gavara, Elena Linkevich.

Which countries have or don't have tax?

Everyone is interested in which countries have a tax on parasitism besides Belarus and the USSR? There is no practice in the world of paying the fee; unemployed citizens will not pay. For example, in Kazakhstan, Ukraine, the Russian Federation and abroad the CIS there is no such law adopted. They are exempt from this fee. Each country, Russia independently organizes people so that they can work. The boss gives a choice, and the person decides which job is right for him.

Tax on parasitism in Belarus 2018 canceled

For now, the due collection from non-working residents will not be cancelled. Information was received from the relevant ministry that many citizens admitted that they were being supported by others. More than 100 residents have been able to pay the fee since January 1st. Cancellation is not yet envisaged.

Who won't pay tax for parasitism?

minors (child under 18 years of age);
pensioners;
disabled people;
housewife;
incompetent;
artisans;
a citizen who arrived in Belarus after March 31;
citizens who left the territory of Belarus, that is, stayed in it for less than 183 days;
citizens who have paid all taxes in full (20 basic units);
working under contracts;
members of creative unions;
Social worker;
served for more than six months.

For mothers who look after children under 3 years of age, no fee is paid. Regarding housewives, the fee is also canceled. You must present documents to avoid or evade paying the fee.

Tax on parasitism in Belarus 2018, who is exempt from the tax?

News in Brest “Charter 97”: the tax on parasitism was abolished in Vitebsk. In the Vitebsk region, 38 Belarusians reported that they did not participate in financing the country’s expenses. As a result, the amount was 115.8 million rubles, of which, according to the latest news, 18.4 million rubles were paid. You can read more in the news about who pays where and who is exempt.

Penalty for non-payment

If citizens did not have time to pay or did not fully pay the tax on parasitism, they imposed a fine in the amount of 2 to 4 basic units or administrative arrest. During it, a person is required to perform useful work for the public.

The list of objects and type of work is approved by local legislative bodies. Sometimes a submitted petition can delay the payment term; you can find out the detailed text and where to submit it on the forum.

Tax on parasitism in Belarus 2018 canceled or not

Taxation for 2018 has not been abolished; as of January 1, 420 people admitted to parasitism and paid the fee. By the first of October, a database will be created according to which to identify everyone who did not participate in the financing of government spending and admitted to this. Everything must be paid by the first of November. If any resident ignores the notice, he will pay 4 basic amounts or be administratively arrested for 15 days.

Do villagers need to be paid?

Rural residents are exempt from paying; in their area, an exemption has been introduced such as paying a tax on parasitism. This category of the population must necessarily engage in agroecotourism; the person must be officially registered as a farmer. Belarus protects this category from payment. If a person is not engaged in agroecotourism, then he is taxed unlike other rural residents. Special clarifications are introduced and tax payment deadlines are introduced.

How to bypass the fee: latest news?

It is quite difficult to bypass payment for parasitism; even renting out an apartment does not exempt you from paying dependency tax. If a person is a freelancer, this is also not an indicator; it all depends on what amount was contributed to the state. The basic payment may not be made if a person joins the military. The next method of bypassing payment is to buy a house in the village and register it as an agricultural estate; you can also officially become a farmer. In addition, you can become a writer and go abroad for 6 months. In such cases, the state budget will be raised by others.

Tax on parasitism in Russia since 2018

Will the fight against parasites begin in Russia in 2018?

Experts believe that this legislation will return the era of serfdom to Russia and will actually legalize slavery, which contradicts many international conventions and a number of articles in the Labor Code of the Russian Federation.

unemployed citizens;
alcoholics and drug addicts.

housewives.

The following are not included in the definition:

disabled people;

It is unknown when the law on parasitism comes into force. Perhaps this will never happen. But if the bill is adopted in 2018, then the so-called parasites will be required to annually contribute to the treasury of the Russian Federation a certain amount (according to some estimates, about 20 thousand rubles) personal income tax + contributions to the Compulsory Medical Insurance Fund.

by registering as an individual entrepreneur;
having purchased a medical policy;
having bought a patent;

Due to the reduction in wages after entry into force, the bill will not live up to the government's expectations for it.

That is why its discussion, reading and adoption were postponed indefinitely.

The fee for unemployed but able-bodied citizens (the so-called tax on parasites) can be set at 20 thousand rubles per year.

Russia plans to pass a law on parasitism

“If a person is “in the shadow”, a constituent of Russia pays a contribution to the compulsory health insurance fund for him. On average, this amount in the regions is eight to nine thousand rubles. Total 20 thousand a year, for starters,” Topilin said.

According to him, the Ministry of Labor wants to identify income-earning citizens “who do not pay for anything and do not participate in anything.” “It seems to me that 20 thousand is normal, even not enough,” the minister said.

On September 30, Deputy Head of the Ministry of Economic Development Oleg Fomichev said that the department has a negative attitude towards the introduction of payments from unemployed but able-bodied citizens. “The correct solution to this problem is a system of incentives to bring employment out of the shadows,” he said.

Two days earlier, Deputy Minister of Finance Tatyana Nesterenko announced that The Ministry of Finance supports the idea of introducing a tax on parasites. “From a fairness point of view, yes, we support it. For all unemployed people, the contribution to compulsory health insurance is paid from the budgets of the constituent entities. In fact, at the expense of other taxpayers,” she explained.

In September, Deputy Prime Minister Olga Golodets said that the government was discussing a bill to introduce a fee for able-bodied citizens who are not officially registered at work.

The State Duma called the proposal to introduce a tax on parasites indecent

In Russia, the so-called tax on parasites cannot be introduced, since there are no economic grounds for this - people will not have the opportunity to pay it. The corresponding opinion in a conversation with Lenta.ru on Friday, October 22, was expressed by the head of the Committee on Labor, Social Policy and Veterans Affairs Yaroslav Nilov (LDPR faction).

“Firstly, there is no such bill now. Secondly, The LDPR is categorically against such an idea. In general, it is unacceptable to call Russian citizens parasites - it is simply indecent and ugly. People are hostages of the situation. These are not Soviet times, when there were really unemployed people, asocial elements,” he said.

The parliamentarian noted that the country now has a difficult economic situation, and people are forced to “go to work for pennies, receive salaries in envelopes.”

“I think it’s a shame for our state that people with two higher educations are forced to work somewhere and receive menial salaries. And where will Russians get the money to pay such fines (collection from able-bodied people who do not officially work anywhere - note from Lenta.ru)?” - said Nilov.

On October 21, Russian Minister of Labor and Social Protection Maxim Topilin said that the fee for unemployed but able-bodied citizens could be set at 20 thousand rubles per year.

On October 14, press secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov said that the Kremlin did not discuss the Ministry of Labor’s proposal to introduce a payment from unemployed citizens to finance social infrastructure.

In September, Deputy Prime Minister Olga Golodets said that the government was discussing a bill to introduce a fee for able-bodied citizens who are not officially registered at work.

The Kremlin commented on information about the tax on parasitism

The Kremlin did not discuss the Ministry of Labor’s proposal to introduce a payment from unemployed but able-bodied citizens to finance social infrastructure. Press Secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov reported this to the Rambler News Service agency on Friday, October 14.

“The Kremlin did not consider this issue at all,” he noted.

On September 30, Deputy Head of the Ministry of Economic Development Oleg Fomichev said that the department has a negative attitude towards the introduction of payments from unemployed but able-bodied citizens. As the official explained, it is very difficult to distinguish those who have lost their jobs from those who formally do not work and simply do not pay money to insurance funds. “The correct solution to this problem is a system of incentives to bring employment out of the shadows,” he said.

Two days earlier, Deputy Finance Minister Tatyana Nesterenko said that the Ministry of Finance supports the idea of introducing a tax on parasites. “From a fairness point of view, yes, we support it. For all unemployed people, the contribution to compulsory health insurance is paid from the budgets of the constituent entities. In fact, at the expense of other taxpayers,” she explained.

On September 28, Deputy Prime Minister Olga Golodets announced that the government was discussing a bill to introduce a fee for able-bodied citizens who are not officially registered at work. After Golodets’ statement on social networks the authorities were proposed to introduce a tax on illness, injury, death, as well as a tax on tax.

The crisis had a strong impact not only on the level of income of citizens, but also on the amount of tax deductions to the state treasury. Over 3 years, the number of people engaged in freelancing has increased 5 times. All this has led to the need to look for ways to remove self-employed qualified specialists from the shadow economy. Thus, a bill “on parasitism” was proposed for consideration, diplomatically called by Medvedev - “a law on the integration into the system of payments for social services of citizens who previously used, for example, free medical care, but did not pay for it.”

In neighboring Belarus, such a law is in force, but the consequences of its introduction have been controversial.

Who can be considered a parasite

The word “parasitism” comes from the Church Slavonic “tune” for free, for free and “to eat”, to eat. The term means “to idle”, “to live off the work of other citizens”, “to live on the benefits of society”. The following are considered parasites:

unemployed citizens;
alcoholics and drug addicts.

But this list also includes:

people engaged in creative activities (for example, artists, actors, singers, writers, etc.);
freelancers (programmers, designers, copywriters and others);
housewives.

The following are not included in the definition:

officially employed citizens;
citizens who are listed on the labor exchange as unemployed;
students, minors, disabled citizens and pensioners;
disabled people;
citizens living off the harvest from their plots, raising livestock and other animals;
people who care for disabled and (or) sick relatives;
women who are raising children under 14 years of age.

This list could be much longer.

Consequences of approval of the bill

It is unknown when the law on parasitism comes into force.

A government source said who will be exempt from the “tax on parasitism”

Perhaps this will never happen. But if the bill is adopted in 2018, then the so-called parasites will be required to annually contribute to the treasury of the Russian Federation a certain amount (according to some estimates, about 20 thousand rubles) personal income tax + contributions to the Compulsory Medical Insurance Fund.

The above categories of citizens will be able to fill the lack of funds in the state treasury as follows:

by registering as an individual entrepreneur;
having purchased a medical policy;
by paying the amount of mandatory tax;
having bought a patent;
officially got a job.

The entry into force of the law “on parasitism” in 2018 will entail:

a decrease in wages (that is, the standard of living of a certain category of the country’s population);
outflow of qualified citizens for the purpose of employment abroad;
the number of freelancers registered as individual entrepreneurs will increase.

Go back to Unemployment 2018

The topic of introducing a tax for parasitism has been discussed in Russia for a long time. The officials' initiative did not find support among the population, and the bill is in the process of being developed. The question of whether a tax for parasitism will be introduced in Russia in 2018 remains open, since neither the amount of payments nor the categories of citizens who will be subject to the law have been fully worked out.

From time to time the Government considers the idea of introducing a tax for parasites. This idea began to develop especially actively after Decree No. 3 was adopted in neighboring Belarus. The essence of the bill being worked on in Russia is that unemployed but capable citizens pay tax in the prescribed amount.

Deputy Prime Minister O. Golodets became one of the initiators of the introduction of the law. She stated that the majority of the officially unemployed population works and has income, but does not pay taxes, while using social services, including medicine. According to her, the new bill will increase budget revenues and compensate for the state’s costs of serving the non-working part of the population. According to statistics, such expenses amount to about 40-45 billion rubles.

Dmitry Medvedev asked not to use the phrase “tax for parasitism,” since the bill is aimed at involving the non-working part of the population in the system of paying taxes, and not fighting parasitism. The main goal of the innovations is that everyone who uses them should pay for social services.

Despite the fact that officials expect to replenish the budget in this way, some experts assume that the state will incur additional costs. The fact is that they plan to exempt people who are registered with employment centers from the tax. To avoid punishment for lack of official employment, unemployed people will be sent en masse to the stock exchanges. As a result, the state will have to pay them social benefits.

In neighboring Belarus, the introduction of a tax on parasitism did not bring the desired result. Instead of paying the tax, people began to organize rallies and protests, since the so-called “letters of chain” were sent to many without legal grounds. To avoid such mistakes, the Government decided to carefully think through all the details.

The purpose of the law is to obtain funds from citizens working unofficially, but many people suspect that those who are trying to somehow survive in conditions of unemployment and negligibly low wages will certainly suffer from it.

Due to the fact that many aspects have not yet been thought through, it is unlikely that the law on parasitism in Russia will be adopted in 2018. Experts say that it will take at least 2-3 years to work out all the details. In addition, it is necessary to collect statistical data on the number of unemployed and those who work unofficially in order to realistically assess the current situation.

At the initial stage of project development, it was planned to establish a tax of 20 thousand. According to the Minister of Labor and Social Policy, this is how much a non-working person can spend using medicine and other services provided by the state.

Although the figures were not confirmed by research and calculations, in other words, they were simply taken out of thin air. According to many people, including experts, the size is clearly overestimated.

Later, the figure of 8 thousand rubles began to sound, but even 150 dollars a year may be an unaffordable amount for some people. Experts in this area propose to launch the law in pilot mode and set the tax amount at a low level - 500 rubles, but whether officials will listen to them is still unknown.

Since officials want to replenish the budget at the expense of those who are capable, but do not work. Preferential categories of people will be exempt from tax.

These will include:

1. Pensioners.

2. Students.

3. Women who care for children under 7 years of age, provided that the latter do not attend child care institutions.

4. People caring for sick relatives or disabled people.

Will there be a tax on parasitism in Russia in 2018 - latest news

5. Disabled people.

6. Single mothers and other socially vulnerable categories of the population.

The tax will not affect people who are officially employed and pay taxes, including private entrepreneurs.

It is also assumed that the lists of those who will be required to pay the tax will not include people officially looking for work, that is, those who are registered with the employment center.

The problem will also not affect people in rural areas who receive income from the sale of livestock, vegetable or gardening products, subject to the payment of taxes.

Citizens who receive income from rental real estate or bank dividends will also be able to avoid additional costs if they pay taxes to the Pension Fund on time.

There are several ways to avoid tax:

1. Purchase a patent.

2. Become a private entrepreneur or open your own company.

3. Pay for medical insurance from your own wallet.

4. Get an official job.

Experts say that the law may not bring the desired results, and instead of replenishing the budget, new expenses will appear. Only time will tell whether the law will be adopted and whether it will be able to work effectively, but already now the majority of people are against its introduction.

In addition, many people agree to pay taxes, but they are often stopped by the bureaucracy that reigns in the tax office and other government agencies.

Fine for parasitism in Russia

Many people have repeatedly heard such terms as “parasite” or “parasitism”, largely thanks to the cinema of Soviet times. However, not everyone fully understands the essence of these definitions, perceiving them vaguely with an admixture of negativism. Therefore, it is impossible to talk about the fine for parasitism in Russia separately from a full understanding of the essence of this offense. By the way, looking ahead a little, we can say that parasitism today is not yet an offense from a legislative point of view.

What is parasitism?

A parasite in the minds of the majority is a person who is unemployed and does not change this state of affairs, although he is able to work and could get a job. This understanding contains some truth. However, how does the state characterize this concept? Officially, the term “parasitism” is not present in legislative documents, just as the law itself introducing it into force does not yet exist, but is only at the development stage.

Responsibility for parasitism will arise in case of violations of the scope of taxation, which is a mandatory payment for the use of social infrastructure. Today, everyone officially employed pays a single social tax, contributions from which go to the pension fund and health insurance fund. The medical industry is part of the social infrastructure. Therefore, an able-bodied citizen who does not pay contributions to the medical fund potentially becomes a parasite. Although this does not yet constitute an offense. But are all non-working people considered parasites?

Who is a parasite

According to the forecasts of the Russian government, the corresponding law can be put into effect only in a few years. Maybe this will be a gradual implementation, since the consciousness of the population is not ready for such drastic reforms. In addition, it is necessary to make a clear gradation of those citizens who will be punished for evading the payment of contributions to the health insurance fund. Every able-bodied person must have an official source of income and pay tax, but not all citizens in this category can or want to get a job for a number of objective reasons.

For example, if they:

care for children or look after sick relatives;
have income from bank deposits, real estate rent, and dividends.

The first group might want to work, but they can’t.

A tax on parasitism will be introduced in Russia in 2017, what is the amount of the tax?

And the second one pays taxes on income - why do they need official employment? Do they really have to pay a fine because of such objective reasons? The list of citizens may be wider in the process of developing the law, but this fact already suggests that the law on parasitism must be thought out to the smallest detail and cannot be adopted hastily.

Brief summary

Thus, the main purpose of the law on the introduction of mandatory payment for the use of medical infrastructure (evasion of payment is parasitism) is to identify able-bodied citizens:

those who deliberately avoid employment without objective reasons;
who work without official employment (remain in the “shadow”).

Considering that both of them use medical services from government institutions, but do not pay contributions to the health insurance fund, although they could, they are considered parasites! As of 2017, this is not officially recognized as an offense, but it is only a matter of time. If you still have questions on this topic, you can consult with a professional consultant!

Law on parasitism in Russia: tax or social payment

For the bill to come into force, it will be necessary to rewrite Art. 37 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, which states that work in our country is voluntary, anyone can choose an occupation based on their needs, skills and abilities. Experts believe that this legislation will return the era of serfdom to Russia and will actually legalize slavery, which contradicts many international conventions and a number of articles in the Labor Code of the Russian Federation.

In neighboring Belarus, such a law is in force, but the consequences of its introduction have been controversial.

Who can be considered a parasite

unemployed citizens;
alcoholics and drug addicts.

But this list also includes:

people engaged in creative activities (for example, artists, actors, singers, writers, etc.);
freelancers (programmers, designers, copywriters and others);
housewives.

The following are not included in the definition:

officially employed citizens;
citizens who are listed on the labor exchange as unemployed;
students, minors, disabled citizens and pensioners;
disabled people;
citizens living off the harvest from their plots, raising livestock and other animals;
people who care for disabled and (or) sick relatives;
women who are raising children under 14 years of age.

This list could be much longer.

Consequences of approval of the bill

It is unknown when the law on parasitism comes into force. Perhaps this will never happen.

What is a “tax on parasitism” and can it be introduced in Russia?

But if the bill is adopted in 2018, then the so-called parasites will be required to annually contribute to the treasury of the Russian Federation a certain amount (according to some estimates, about 20 thousand rubles) personal income tax + contributions to the Compulsory Medical Insurance Fund.

The above categories of citizens will be able to fill the lack of funds in the state treasury as follows:

by registering as an individual entrepreneur;
having purchased a medical policy;
by paying the amount of mandatory tax;
having bought a patent;
officially got a job.

The entry into force of the law “on parasitism” in 2018 will entail:

a decrease in wages (that is, the standard of living of a certain category of the country’s population);
outflow of qualified citizens for the purpose of employment abroad;
the number of freelancers registered as individual entrepreneurs will increase.

Due to the reduction in wages after entry into force, the bill will not live up to the government's expectations for it. That is why its discussion, reading and adoption were postponed indefinitely.

The Russian authorities are ready to adopt the “best practices” of Belarus and impose taxes on citizens who already have no income.

The “tax on parasitism,” the introduction of which is being prepared by the Russian government, should take into account all possible incomes of people who are of working age but do not have an official job, said Labor Minister Maxim Topilin.

According to him, when taxing self-employed citizens, the authorities intend to take into account the property that they own.

The tax could be 25 thousand rubles per person per year, Topilin said.

Tax on beloved wives

Administering such a tax in the first place will cost more than the funds that can be raised with it. And secondly, this will cause massive discontent among the population, which the authorities have absolutely no use for on the eve of the elections, believes Doctor of Economic Sciences Andrei Gudkov.

“The introduction of such a tax is not clear how it is consistent with the current constitution in Russia, which, unlike the Soviet constitution, does not mention the right to work. And if a certain right is not provided for, then you don’t have to be a lawyer to understand that no reprisals are possible for non-use of this right. For only right gives rise to duties,” he told Reedus.

From a practical point of view, levying such a tax also raises many questions, the main one being how the tax authorities intend to separate those citizens who are “parasitizing” maliciously, and those who have a completely legitimate source of livelihood, but not related to making money by going to the streets every day. factory?

“You can only find ‘parasites’ using the Pension Fund of Russia database. But a huge number of people live at the expense of their spouses, “working” as parents of young children, grandparents of their grandchildren, or, in the end, beloved wives of their hard-working spouses. For this, their relatives support them. Is it also proposed to tax these people on parasitism?” - says Gudkov.

Moreover, “the beloved woman of mechanic Gavrilov” may not be officially married to him, and she will not be able to document that she does not need to go to work every morning.

“After all, in the Russian expanses you can find examples where in remote villages their residents live on subsistence farming. Baba Masha grows potatoes and exchanges them with Aunt Vera for cucumbers, and she exchanges them with Uncle Vasya for moonshine. They do not enter into monetary relations, and formally, according to the letter of the proposed law, they will have to pay 25 thousand - more than all their cucumbers and potatoes cost together,” the expert points out.

The experience of Belarus has demonstrated that even in this calm and “Soviet” country, attempts to introduce a “tax on parasitism” caused mass protests in Minsk. In Russia, even more so, such an innovation will be a gift to the non-systemic opposition, he warns.

In Belarus, since 2015, unemployed citizens are required to pay to the treasury 20 minimum wages per year (about $200) “in order to encourage able-bodied citizens to work and ensure that they fulfill their constitutional obligation to participate in the financing of government spending.”

Your own employer

In May, the Russian Ministry of Justice developed a bill on self-employed citizens in the Russian Federation (the dissonant Soviet term “parasitism” is, of course, not used in the document).

Self-employment as a concept appeared in Russia (in the last years of the USSR) almost simultaneously with the elimination of the article of the Criminal Code “Parasitism”.

Self-employed are a large number of citizens who carry out entrepreneurial activities without hiring employees and registering as individual entrepreneurs (for example, tutors, caregivers, nannies).

The difference between individual entrepreneurs and self-employed people today is purely nominal, and there is only one criterion for the differences between them, says Natalya Tode, a former employee of the Institute for Management of Social Processes at the National Research University Higher School of Economics.

“This criterion is that both the individual entrepreneur and the self-employed person do the same work, provide the same service, with the only difference being that the first one does it with the payment of taxes, and the second one does it in a shadow way. And this is not the first time that the authorities have made attempts to bring the second category out of the shadows, but every time talented, economically active Russians find ways to remain in the shadow sector,” she told Reedus.

In an attempt to draw a line between individual entrepreneurship and self-employment, the state is now also balancing in a very shaky legal field, Tode agrees with Gudkov.

“Take for clarity the difference between self-employment and, excuse me, begging. Here is a man standing on the sidewalk with a hat in his hand and begging for alms. Formally, it falls under the current article of the Criminal Code “Begging”. But if he does the same thing, but at the same time reads poetry out loud, then there will no longer be a formal crime in his actions: after all, he is doing you a favor! Another thing is that you don’t need this “service” at all, but purely legally the difference is huge,” she explains.

The sanction for begging migrated to the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation from the Criminal Code of the RSFSR, but the concept of “self-employment” was not in either the Soviet Labor Code or the current Russian Labor Code.

Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation O. Golodets reported on the discussion of the law on parasitism in Russia in 2017 at the Federation Council. Able-bodied citizens who are not officially registered at work will pay tax to the budget of the Russian Federation.

What is the draft law?

The Russian Ministry of Labor is working on a project in which unemployed citizens will pay for using the benefits of social infrastructure. The type of payment is currently under discussion.

Golodets also notes the following. The main difficulty lies in the fact that theoretically unemployed people have jobs, but do not pay contributions to the tax service and the Pension Fund.

In May, the Russian Ministry of Labor announced that domestic experts were adopting the experience of Belarus, which had already introduced a tax on parasitism.

The chairman of the department said that the discussion is being conducted in the context of a study of the Belarusian experience. To date, they have not yet developed regulations on this topic.

This tax will be introduced in a few years. According to Dmitry Medvedev, such a tax is not a demand for money from non-working people, but an involvement in the payment system for social services of people who do not pay for them.

Who will pay the tax on parasitism in Russia in 2017?

Senators took the social security deficit seriously. This bill is being discussed on a grand scale. It is being prepared for public presentation. In two or three years, the Federation Council is going to count the non-working population. Among them will be identified those who do not pay taxes, but enjoy free healthcare and other social privileges. These are the people who will be forced to pay.

What should parasites do?

The government believes that after the law comes into force, the population will have to choose one of the ways out of the situation:

purchase a health care policy at your own expense;
buy a patent;
register as an individual entrepreneur and contribute funds to medical and pension funds;
find a job with official employment.

Based on the same law, a decision will be made about who can be exempt from this tax. If an unemployed person who is officially registered at the employment center cannot find a job for objective reasons, then there is a possibility that he will be exempt from paying taxes. For example, if there are no vacancies in your specialty or the salary level is too low. People who legally have the right not to work will not pay this tax: disabled people, pensioners and others.

How much money will the state receive?

After the introduction of this law, about 45 billion rubles will be added to the country’s treasury per year. This is the amount that the regions spend on providing medical care to unemployed citizens. According to officials, it is inappropriate to rush into this matter. The most important thing is to find people who are able to pay social contributions, but for a number of reasons do not want to do so. The Federal Tax Service will be able to solve the problem.

Infringement of rights or social justice?

There can be no talk of infringement of rights here, as the Federation Council reports. The government seeks social justice. There must be equality in payment for health care. Why do some pay and others not? On the other hand, why are citizens who do not use them obliged to pay for medical services? After all, there are people who turn exclusively to private clinics, where the level of services is higher and there is no bureaucratic red tape. There are also those people who have good health and do not go to medical institutions, but pay taxes.

Prosecution, not a tax on parasitism

Dmitry Medvedev commented on the proposal to introduce a tax on parasitism in Russia in 2017. He refuted the wording, but explained the essence of the problem. Medvedev asked not to use the phrase “tax on parasitism,” since in modern society there is no punishment for parasitism. This talks about bringing social responsibility to people who enjoy benefits but do not pay for them.

In the summer, the chairman of the country's Council, Matvienko, spoke out about the fact that a bill would be developed that would attract young parasites to pay their fees.

Who can evade taxes?

According to experts, in order to solve the problem of competent introduction of a tax, serious preparation is required. This means that it is necessary to determine categories of unemployed based on the reasons that allow them to be in this status and not pay taxes:

persons who do not work due to the need to care for children or sick relatives;
villagers who make a profit from selling meat, milk, vegetables or fish;
persons receiving interest from real estate rent, dividends, bank deposits, since these people already pay taxes on their income.

The government will expand this list as work progresses.

For many, annual contributions of 8 thousand rubles will significantly hit the budget. They simply will not have the means to pay social contributions. Experts argue that it is better to introduce deductions in stages, starting from 500 rubles per year. If you run a pilot project, it will demonstrate the effectiveness of the solutions.