SERGEI BELEV: INTRODUCTION OF THE COVID-TAX IS INFEASIBLE WITHOUT THE RF TAX CODE BEING AMENDED
Sergei Belev, Head of the Budget Policy Department, Gaidar Institute has shared his views with the Rossiiskaya Gazeta publishers on infeasibility of the arbitrary introduction of the COVID-tax in Russia as it is practiced by entrepreneurs in Italy.
Owners of Italian bars, restaurants, beauty parlors and barber’s shops decided to compensate their losses at the expense of consumers and by way of a substantial adjustment of prices. Entrepreneurs increased on average by euro 2-4 the charge for their services. They have arbitrary introduced the so-called coronavirus tax which is specified in a separate line of the fiscal sale receipt. Entrepreneurs explain this by the need to cover costs related to the disinfection of the premises and purchasing of antivirus protective means.
According to Sergei Belev, such measures are infeasible in Russia without the amendment of the Tax Code.
“In Russia, they use a centralized system of online cash registers, the data in fiscal sale receipts are directly transmitted to the Federal Tax Service, so entrepreneurs do not have much space for “maneuver” with fiscal sale receipts. No such lines can be introduced in fiscal sale receipts without the Tax Code being amended”, Sergei Belev notes.
“To be precise, if the COVID-tax has got the status of a voluntary donation it can be included in the fiscal sale receipt, but it is just like a “charity box” in which one can put a coin: the customer should be informed of it in advance and decide whether to pay it or not. Furthermore, businesses fail often to succeed in shifting their increased costs on customers. Customers stop buying appreciated services and goods”, Sergei Belev concludes.
According to Sergei Belev, such measures are infeasible in Russia without the amendment of the Tax Code.
“In Russia, they use a centralized system of online cash registers, the data in fiscal sale receipts are directly transmitted to the Federal Tax Service, so entrepreneurs do not have much space for “maneuver” with fiscal sale receipts. No such lines can be introduced in fiscal sale receipts without the Tax Code being amended”, Sergei Belev notes.
“To be precise, if the COVID-tax has got the status of a voluntary donation it can be included in the fiscal sale receipt, but it is just like a “charity box” in which one can put a coin: the customer should be informed of it in advance and decide whether to pay it or not. Furthermore, businesses fail often to succeed in shifting their increased costs on customers. Customers stop buying appreciated services and goods”, Sergei Belev concludes.