The Ministry of Digital Development proposed to pay for the repair of Post offices using marketplace payments

The Ministry of Digital Development proposes to direct infrastructure payments from marketplaces to cover part of the losses of Russian Post branches in small towns, as well as their repairs. This was stated by Minister of Digital Development Maksut Shadayev at a meeting of the State Duma Committee on Information Technologies.

“We propose that the repair of these offices, as well as the coverage of losses from the operation of post offices in settlements with less than 5,000 residents, be provided as part of the infrastructure payment of marketplaces,” – leads his words TASS.

In total, according to Shadayev, Post has about 28,000 branches in such settlements, and the Ministry of Digital Development is now working on a formula for calculating payments for marketplaces. He emphasized that the deductions received according to the calculations fall within the previously announced threshold of 0.5% of turnover.

In mid-March, Shadayev announced the need to provide Russian Post with compensation for the provision of socially significant postal services in rural areas, where this activity is mostly unprofitable. According to him, the Post Office is forced in many cases to maintain unprofitable branches and guarantee a uniform standard and quality of service delivery. State subsidies for Russian Post were canceled in 2014.

Later in May, Russian Post proposed that the Ministry of Digital Development oblige the owners of marketplaces and other participants in the e-commerce market, whose annual revenue is at least 1 billion rubles, to pay the postal operator an infrastructure payment in the amount of 0.5% of the quarterly turnover of goods. The Ministry of Economy later announced the need for additional elaboration of the idea, but the Ministry of Industry and Trade opposed it, Vedomosti wrote.

In September, at the Association of Internet Trade Companies (AKIT) offered as a “civilized market” alternative, purchase Russian Post services worth about 33.5 billion rubles.

On September 25, Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matvienko called for an urgent solution to the growing financial hole of Russian Post. She noted that in order to solve the company’s financial problems, it is necessary to develop a “correct model of existence” and take those measures that the government considers necessary.