Business has been postponed – Newspaper Kommersant No. 12 (7457) dated 01/24/2023

The White House freed a significant part of the business from the need to fully return almost 800 billion rubles to the budget this year. insurance premiums underpaid in 2022. By its decree, the government extended for another year, until May 28, 2024, the deferral of social payments for the second and third quarters of last year – after the start of the military operation, 1.4 million companies and individual entrepreneurs received it to maintain their working capacity. In the business environment, the postponement of social contributions is called one of the most effective measures taken by the government.

The government has extended the deferral of payment of insurance premiums for the second and third quarters of 2022 – as Mikhail Mishustin said at a meeting with his deputies yesterday, now these payments to businesses must be made by May 28, 2024. The previous deadline is May-October of this year (depending on the accrual period).

Recall that the annual deferral of payment of contributions, which constitute a very significant part of the tax burden, was introduced as an anti-crisis measure last spring (see Kommersant dated April 25, 2022). The measure was introduced to save these funds from the business and was designed to help ensure the financing of the production cycle and settlement with counterparties. We are talking about deductions to social funds in the amount of 30% of the wage fund (for preferential categories, the rate is lower) and 15% for small and medium-sized businesses.

The price of that delay for the budget was quite high – 772 billion rubles. (of which, according to the Ministry of Economy, 16 billion rubles are accounted for by individual entrepreneurs). The budget has already compensated this amount to state off-budget funds. Finance Minister Anton Siluanov explained at the end of the year that without these funds, the 2022 budget deficit would have decreased from the final 2.3% to 1.8% of GDP.

The payment of contributions for the second quarter in April 2022 was deferred for businesses from almost 80 areas (including healthcare, tourism, sports, food production, clothing, furniture, textiles), which, according to the authorities, form about 70% of employment. The deferment of contributions for the third quarter of 2022 covered a narrower list of 40 industries (for example, construction, agriculture, information technology), which account for 30% of employment. The list of those who did not get the benefit included exporters, companies in the financial sector and wholesale trade, and budgetary organizations.

As follows from the resolution published yesterday, business will begin to repay “deferred” contributions this year, paying them monthly in equal installments. Payment for the second quarter of 2022 is due from the end of June of this year, for the third – from the end of September. This approach, let us add, was discussed at a meeting with the president back in mid-December.

As the Ministry of Finance explained to Kommersant, the resolution approved “further steps to reduce the burden on business – companies and individual entrepreneurs who previously received a deferment in the payment of contributions will be able to use the installment plan in a declarative manner.” The Ministry of Economy clarifies that this support measure was received by 0.9 million enterprises in the second quarter and 0.44 million enterprises in the third. The most active use of the delay was in the areas of agriculture, construction, and trade. At the same time, some entrepreneurs have already made payments for which they had previously received a deferment.

As Mikhail Mishustin said yesterday, the prolongation “will enable businesses to continue to use the freed up resources for current expenses – primarily for salaries to employees, the development and modernization of production, and the restructuring of logistics.” The Ministry of Economy adds that this will support enterprises “which, in the current difficult conditions, are rebuilding production processes, supply chains and need working capital for this.”

The RSPP says that “the delay has played an important role in ensuring the sustainable operation of companies and individual entrepreneurs in the face of sanctions restrictions” – according to a survey conducted by the RSPP, the Chamber of Commerce and other business associations, this measure ranked third among the most effective anti-crisis measures for industrial companies . Ekaterina Avdeeva, a member of the General Council of Delovaya Rossiya, notes that in the conditions of economic turbulence caused by sanctions and the military operation, “any benefits are a tangible contribution to supporting business, especially small and micro businesses.” However, according to her, “the distribution of long-term indulgences is dangerous for the economy and for business, which risks defaulting.” However, now, according to her, such support in “manual mode” is necessary in order for “business to maintain its positions and enter the development zones.”

According to Andrey Shubin, Executive Director of Opora Rossii, the introduction of a deferment on insurance premiums was a timely measure, and in general, everyone who wanted to receive such a deferment and fell under the conditions was able to use it. Mr. Shubin calls the extension of due dates a “sound decision” – it allows businesses, especially those that are most seriously affected by reduced consumer demand, to adjust their economic behavior.

Evgenia Kryuchkova, Diana Galieva