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The Bank of Russia Announces a Number of Changes

28 november 2011

On 25 November 2011, the RF Central Bank announced its decision that, from 5 December 2011 onwards, the minimum credit rating threshold established for an issuer of securities, so that those securities could be entered on the Mortgage List of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, is to be lowered.

A Remark on the Article "The Black Hole of the Russian Budget’"

25 november 2011

On 15 November 2011, Voennoe Obozrenie [Military Review] published Aleksey Volodin's article "The Black Hole of the Russian Budget".

On the Consolidated Budget of the Constituent Entities of the Russian Federation in 2012

14 november 2011

According to the forecasts of the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation, in 2012 the consolidated budget of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation will be a deficit one and with the macroeconomic parameters taken into account it will amount to Rb 47.5bn. (0.081% of the GDP)1.

Russia’s Accession to the WTO

11 november 2011

On November 9, 2011, the last obstacle on Russia's way to the WTO was overcome. Georgia and Russia with mediation of Switzerland as the two countries do not maintain diplomatic relations signed a bilateral protocol that Tbilisi did not object Russia's accession to the WTO.

Russia Joining the Convention of the Council of Europe and the OECD on Mutual Administrative Aid in Tax Matters

10 november 2011

At the G20 Summit in Cannes in November 2011, Russia signed the multilateral Convention of the Council of Europe and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) on Mutual Administrative Aid in Tax Matters. The day is not far away when Russian and foreign tax authorities may joint effort not only in search for taxpayers, but also for their assets and impose attachments on those assets for recovery of unpaid tax debts and sell them at auctions.

To the Law on Pay of Servicemen

09 november 2011

On November 7, President  D. Medvedev of Russia signed the Federal Law on Pay of Servicemen  and Granting Them Individual Payments1.

About Proposals of the Ministry of Health and Social Development as Regards the Pension System

03 november 2011

At present, the Ministry of Health and Social Development is preparing proposals as regards changing of the formula of calculation of the pension capital and indexation of pensions.

On the Alterations Introduced in the Compulsory Medical Insurance Rules

31 october 2011

In September 2011, a number of alterations were introduced in the Compulsory Medical Insurance Rules*. These alterations are designed to make more complete and precise some of the provisions adopted in February 2011 as part of the law on CMI.

Support of farm producers in Russia

26 october 2011

It’s commonly assumed that Russian commodity farm producers suffer from insufficiency of state support. The review of agricultural policies in OECD countries and emerging economies in 2008-2010 prepared by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and published in September 2011 controverts this assumption.

On Russia’s Balance of Payments

06 october 2011

In early October the RF Central Bank published an assessment of Russia’s balance of payments for 9 months 2011.

On the Federal Budget for 2012–2014

23 september 2011

At its meeting on 21 September 2011, the Government of the Russian Federation considered a draft of the Federal Law "On the Federal Budget for the Year 2012 and the 2013–2014 Planning Period".

On the Social Tax Deduction for Physical Persons with Regard to their Expenses on Charitable Activities

22 september 2011

Federal Law, of 18 July 2011, No 835-FZ introduces amendments that are designed to expand the list of tax-exempt activities for physical persons donating funds to non-profit organizations.

Investments in the Real Sector of the Russian Economy

21 september 2011

Investments in fixed assets over the period of January through August 2011 amounted to Rb 5320 bn, having risen by 4.1 % on the corresponding period of the previous year.

Foreign Investments in the Russian Economy

19 september 2011

The inflow of foreign investments in Russia's national economy in 2010 amounted to $ 114.7 bn, thus having risen by 40.1 % on 2009 and by 5.8 % on 2008.

On Russia’s GDP dynamics in 2011

16 september 2011

According to Rosstat, in the first half-year of 2011, the index of Russia's physical volume of GDP amounted to 103.7, while the rate of growth slumped from 105 % in Q1 to 103.4 % in Q2 comparison with the corresponding periods of 2010.

The Bank of Russia has left unchanged its rate of refinancing

14 september 2011

On 14 September, the Board of Directors of the Bank of Russia decided to keep the refinancing rate unchanged, but reduced by 0.25 percentage points its interest rates on certain liquidity provision operations on the open market (Lombard and REPO auctions), as well as for a majority of standing facilities (Lombard loans, direct REPO operations, loans secured by gold, non-marketable assets and guarantees).