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Prime Minister Vladimir Putin meets with Head of the Federal Customs Service Andrei Belyaninov

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Transcript of the beginning of the meeting:

Vladimir Putin: Mr Belyaninov, what could you say about your work now that the Customs Union is operating?

Andrei Belyaninov: Mr Putin, at the most recent government meeting, you mentioned the budget implementation figures for the first half of this year. I’d like to illustrate with figures what we have done up to today, that is, including August. I think our figures are optimistic.

Russia’s exports to the other members of the Customs Union have reached $18.5 billion, which is a 37.3% increase compared to the same period last year. The figure for Kazakhstan has grown by 34% and for Belarus by 39.5%. This is obvious growth. Statistics show positive developments, disproving the cautious apprehensions we had about economic processes in this space.

The tax and duty collection rates have not decreased over the past few years and we believe that we will reach the difficult target of collecting 5.4 trillion roubles this year.

This diagram illustrates import growth (Belyaninov shows Putin the diagram). Import tax and duty collection is also going well.

Vladimir Putin: Your results for August are the same as for the whole of 2009. Is this right?

Andrei Belyaninov: Yes. Credit goes to growing exports and imports. I’d like to emphasise that these positive developments are taking place in the framework of the Customs Union.  

Vladimir Putin: If they continue, we may match the 2008 level in principle.

Andrei Belyaninov: Yes. I think, I’m even sure, that we will surpass the 2008 figures because most taxes and duties are collected from September to December.

And there is one more thing that I’d like to show you. Gazprom is regaining its position. Its share in the overall revenue collection is also optimistic compared to last year. I think that Gazprom will make up for 2009.

Vladimir Putin: Indeed, the company is doing well.

Andrei Belyaninov: It is, and this is also good for us as a fiscal body. We are fulfilling the plan for collecting gas duties and we hope to surpass the target figure with the help of Gazprom.

Vladimir Putin: (looking at the diagram) Compared to the same period last year, this year they have doubled their figures…

Andrei Belyaninov: Mr Putin, this is compared to the past year as a whole. This is why Gazprom’s achievements look optimistic.

Vladimir Putin: Yes, they have registered tangible growth.