Senior Researcher at the Gaidar Institute Ilya Sokolov commented for Forbes on data showing an increase in the number of tax debtors among large companies.
According to data from “Action Accounting,” over the past year, the number of companies with revenue of Rb2 bn or more that have tax arrears has increased by 1.5 times. Experts attribute this trend to the growing fiscal burden, the deterioration of the macroeconomic situation, and the strengthening of control mechanisms by the Federal Tax Service.
Ilya Sokolov noted that the rise in tax arrears among operating businesses is linked to several factors at once. Among the key reasons, he cited a contraction in aggregate demand in the economy, driven by high borrowing costs and a slowdown in economic growth, as well as a deterioration in payment discipline among companies.
“Even state-owned companies are already delaying payments to their counterparties,” emphasized Ilya Sokolov, pointing to the spread of payment settlement issues in the economy.
The expert also noted that companies with zero revenue do not have a significant impact on budget revenue, with the exception of certain risks related to VAT. At the same time, he said, the involvement of large businesses in debt problems is an important signal.
“The economic crisis is gaining momentum and has already affected large businesses, which traditionally have greater financial stability than small and medium-sized enterprises. The extent to which large businesses are affected serves as an indicator of the scale of the looming economic downturn,” noted Ilya Sokolov.