The government does not want to change the transport tax calculation system

The White House opposed the idea of ​​​​providing a fifty percent discount on the payment of transport taxes to citizens who have not received fines for violating traffic rules during the year. State Duma deputies from the New People party proposed a discount to reduce accident rates: with the new discount, drivers will be financially motivated to drive carefully. Meanwhile, the LDPR introduced another bill to the State Duma, exempting car owners who are parents of several children from transport tax. The authorities are unlikely to agree to such initiatives, experts say: transport tax is one of the most important sources of income for the regions.

The Russian government sent a negative response to the draft amendments of State Duma Vice Speaker Vladislav Davankov (“New People”) to the Tax Code: to exempt individuals from paying 50% of the transport tax if they have not been held accountable for violating traffic rules within a year. “The introduction of measures to reduce the tax burden on citizens will motivate drivers to be more responsible and careful on the roads,” the explanatory note says. “Drivers will be aware that violations not only pose a danger to their life and health, but also have a practical impact on their financial condition.”

Kommersant reported that the government opposed this idea back on October 10 (see No. 188). Now the State Duma has received an official clarification from the White House. Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Grigorenko pointed out that tax legislation regulates “power relations” regarding the establishment, introduction and collection of taxes and fees, but does not encourage vehicle owners to comply with traffic rules. The obligation to comply with the rules is enshrined in the Law “On Road Safety,” Mr. Grigorenko emphasized: “The possibility of obtaining tax benefits cannot be linked to the requirement of lawful behavior of road users.”

The Duma opposition, however, does not abandon attempts to change the relevant sections of the legislation. Yesterday, another group of deputies – this time from the LDPR – submitted their own bill to the State Duma. It is proposed to exempt owners of passenger cars with an engine power of up to 150 hp from paying taxes from January 1, 2024. villages raising three or more minor children, as well as if the car owner is the only parent of one or more minor children. The authors refer to the last message to the Federal Assembly, in which President Vladimir Putin called on the authorities to “adjust” the tax system. In 2021, we recall that the LDPR proposed to completely abolish the transport tax in the context of a “sharp drop in income” of the population, but the project was rejected: the government indicated in its review that the adoption of the initiative would lead to a loss in regional budget revenues of at least 160 billion rubles. in year.

Transport tax is one of the most important sources of income for regional road funds (of which the repair and construction of new roads is financed), explained Sergei Eremin (United Russia), a member of the Duma Committee on Transport, former Minister of Transport of the Krasnoyarsk Territory. “This is a fundamental tax, a lifeline for the regions, it cannot be abolished,” he told Kommersant. “If a person owns a car, it means he uses it and causes damage to the road surface – this must be compensated. Another thing is that there are questions about what is considered a tax. After all, not all machines are used all the time.” Tying the tariff to horsepower may have been relevant at one time, Mr. Eremin believes, so you can think about other ways.

Mikhail Blinkin, scientific director of the Institute of Economics and Transport Policy at the Higher School of Economics, considers it logical to introduce targeted benefits for certain categories of citizens, but now there is no need to “break the system”. The expert is confident that in the next ten years many countries, including Russia, will switch to a new toll system, where tolls are charged for road travel based on the distance traveled. “Modern digital technologies make it possible to do this,” says Mr. Blinkin. “Payments may depend on the category of the car, the class of roads and, possibly, on the status of the car owner. There will be no connection to power.”

Against the backdrop of discussions about the fate of the transport tax, in May 2023, the parliamentary working group on special military operations in Ukraine (headed by Senator Andrei Turchak) developed uniform standards for regional measures to support its participants, including the provision of benefits for the payment of transport tax. Some regions have already done this on their own by changing local legislation: Stavropol Territory, Tambov and Moscow regions. The legislative assemblies of the Primorsky and Perm regions announced plans to adopt the relevant amendments.

Ivan Buranov