Agenda: the results of the annual Government performance report, changes in regulations for the provision of utility payments subsidies, formulating standard criteria for obtaining social assistance, establishing a special economic zone on the territories of the new regions, financing a programme of soft loans for investment projects to create tourism infrastructure, preparations for springtime agricultural work and measures to support the agro-industrial sector.
Mikhail Mishustin’s opening remarks:
Government meeting
Good afternoon, colleagues,
Yesterday, deputies of the State Duma heard the 2022 Government performance report. We have obtained detailed parliamentary feedback on key national development issues.
During the discussion, the deputies voiced interesting proposals, including questions from specific regions. This represents an honest and objective assessment of decisions that have already been adopted, and it allows us to work more effectively and to continue working together with members of parliament.
We had a detailed discussion, as regards assistance to families with children, including those in the new regions. We also discussed measures to support our defenders who are now fulfilling their sacred duty.
We also prioritised fundamental sectors, including industrial production, the agro-industrial sector and the construction industry. They asked us many questions about regional development, the business environment, production of Russian-made medications and other medical items. We discussed such issues as the development of the national machine-tool manufacturing sector and the electronics industry. We are implementing various state support measures in this sphere, including subsidies and soft loans under programmes of the Industrial Development Fund.
We touched upon the environment and protection of domestic producers, talked about sports, engineering education, and education in general.
I am sure you noticed the constructive attitude of the deputies, and their familiarity with the agenda.
We have been working long and hard with the parliament to prepare the report. The ministers discussed current issues with the relevant State Duma committees. I also met with representatives of all parliamentary parties.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the State Duma and its Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin for their effective cooperation.
A list of instructions will be compiled following yesterday's meeting. Please ensure that every deadline is met. Dmitry Grigorenko will be overseeing this process.
I also ask you to prepare a meeting with those Duma members who did not have time to ask their questions during the Government report session. I am sure that we need to give them the opportunity to say what they have to say, to ask their questions. Please take care of this as soon as possible.
Before we move on to today’s agenda, I would like to say a few words about the decision that was made following my meetings with the Duma parties.
A resolution has been signed changing the regulations for granting housing and utilities subsidies.
Every region will now be authorised to independently approve the criteria to determine the ceiling for their citizens’ housing and utilities bills. They certainly know the local economic situation better and are familiar with the average income of families in their regions. This will ensure a targeted approach to allocating funds to subsidise their expenses.
Government meeting
Of course, citizens with low incomes should have priority in receiving such state support.
We expect that legislators will remain ready for such effective interaction, including providing feedback from the people to see how our decisions are implemented on the ground.
Yesterday, during the report session, I also said that the Government was working to make getting social support easier and more convenient.
We will discuss a draft law that will allow us to formulate uniform and understandable criteria for receiving such support, including based on a social contract.
Uniform approaches to calculating household (family) per capita income and its composition are to be adopted throughout the country. They will be similar to the ones currently used to calculate the uniform monthly maternity and child allowances. As I have said in my report, they are issued to pregnant women and for children aged up to 17 years.
The document also envisages the possibility of submitting online applications for support at the Public Services website or relevant regional services.
This is a significant part of our work to introduce the principles of social treasury, which we are doing on the President’s instructions. People will need to submit fewer documents. We will reduce red tape and the need to run all over town. Interacting with the state when applying for allowances and services can be simple and convenient.
Let’s move on to the next issue. In his Address to the Federal Assembly, the President emphasised the importance of quickly implementing the socioeconomic recovery and development programme for the new regions. This calls for taking additional effective decision that will help us relaunch their economies.
I said during my report to the State Duma yesterday that the Government had drafted a law on a free economic zone in the Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics and the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions. It includes a 10-year exemption from the federal, and, by decision of the regional authorities, regional components of the profit tax, as well as from the property tax. The important thing is that decisions on exemption from the regional component of the profit tax are to be taken by the regional authorities. There will be three-year exemptions from the land tax and the reduction of insurance payment rates to 7.6 percent. There will also be free customs zone procedures.
All these measures will help us attract private investment to creating new enterprises, overhauling infrastructure, and boosting the construction sector and agriculture, which can become one of the main development drivers in the new regions.
The creation of tourism and recreation infrastructure is our next issue. Russia has many regions famous for their unique natural sights and historical landmarks. More Russian citizens are travelling all over the country. By the way, I discussed this in great detail yesterday during the Government’s annual report at the State Duma. Of course, tourists want to stop at comfortable, good, high-quality and safe hotels during their trips, and they want to pay reasonable and affordable prices.
For this purpose, we will help businesses build and overhaul 27,500 rooms at hotels with at least a three-star rating. This year, we will allocate over five billion roubles for these purposes under the Tourism and Hospitality Industry national project. This will help retain low interest rates for almost 90 projects under a programme providing soft loans for building hotels in 33 Russian regions. This means that more people will be able to have comfortable holiday in various parts of Russia.
Let’s discuss the next item of our agenda. Today, we will assess the situation with springtime field work that has already commenced in some regions, while elsewhere farmers are still getting ready.
Indeed, we harvested plenty of grain and vegetables and oil-yielding crops last year. We fully achieved the food security objectives set by the President, including through systemic state support during preparations for the 2022 sowing season. Colleagues, we have repeatedly discussed all this in great detail.
The Government will continue to assist the agro-industrial sector. We have retained all subsidies for conducting field work. We realise that it is highly important to provide farmers with seeds, fuel, fertiliser and equipment. Consequently, we will be able to expand grain, potato and other vegetable croplands, as well as fodder crops.
I find it important to focus on yet another issue, specifically, taking out soft loans. For these purposes, we have stipulated almost 160 billion roubles’ of budgetary funding. Farmers should obtain these allocations as soon as possible, so that they would be able to purchase all essential items for the sowing campaign.
