VLADIMIR PUTIN
ARCHIVE OF THE OFFICIAL SITE
OF THE 2008-2012 PRIME MINISTER
OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
VLADIMIR PUTIN
ARCHIVE OF THE OFFICIAL SITE
OF THE 2008-2012 PRIME MINISTER
OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
VLADIMIR PUTIN
“We see the business community and entrepreneurs as our partners. Changing the country is our common objective. We expect close and open cooperation with all those who want to do honest business in Russia, and we are ready to help you. We want you to be successful. We need your experience and your understanding of the real problems in this country. I strongly believe that we must engage more representatives of mid-sized businesses to work in executive and legislative bodies.”
“One of the key problems for medium-sized business is the availability of qualified personnel. I believe that entrepreneurs should become actively involved in working to develop professional and educational standards in our country, and they should do so in close contact with educational institutions and regional and municipal authorities.”
“We must create conditions in which success in business can be achieved not just by people who possess greater administrative resources or more personal connections, but by those who produce quality products that meet international standards and are truly the best in the market. We need a more effective anti-monopoly policy and we must remain committed to creating a truly competitive environment.”
“First of all, penalties for electricity underuse are now to be scrapped. This issue is a particularly sensitive one to small and medium-sized businesses, as well as to agrarian enterprises. It is from them that we most often hear legitimate complaints about the take-or-pay principle. It wouldn’t be an overstatement to say that this principle has been holding back entrepreneurial activity in electrical engineering and other industries while also bringing undeservedly high proceeds to distribution companies. This issue has now been resolved, and consumers will not have to pay for electricity that they don’t use. Small and medium-sized businesses will be given an opportunity to build their work, including in electricity consumption, on a long-term basis and without having to bear the burden of additional costs.”
“The VEB must continue to develop programmes of support for small and medium-sized businesses, which has been a strategic priority for the bank. There will now be a special emphasis placed on supporting companies that operate in non-trade sectors, on financing innovative projects related to the creation of new production lines, quality merchandise and technology.”
“The Export Insurance Agency will soon be launched in order to support the ambitions of small and medium-sized businesses that want to enter foreign markets. We expect to have more than $14 billion worth of export loans insured from 2012-2014. We will primarily provide support to domestic high-tech products that, I'm sure, are capable of competing in the world market.”
"We should focus <…> on interactions between the state and business. I am talking about state guarantees. This instrument is all about the commitment of the government and of the country, and it is an important factor for attracting funds to major infrastructure, high-tech and export-oriented projects".
“We should join our efforts and help people in rural areas expand their operations and stand firm on their feet, so that they don’t have to sell their products under the table but instead have direct access to farmers’ markets and can work in a civil manner. This goes beyond agriculture and also applies to non-farming businesses, such as services, motor transportation, manufacturing of building materials, and the recreation and tourism industry.”
“We will also help rural entrepreneurs. Next year, we plan to launch a special federal programme for new farmers. Anyone willing to start a business in rural areas will be issued a government grant, a soft investment loan and a one-time settling-in allowance. In addition to that, we will expand the programme for family-run dairy farms.”
“I want to stress this again – the development of small and medium-sized businesses has an undeniably tremendous significance for the country. This means new jobs and improving the efficiency and sustainability of the national economy and, ultimately, the well-being of millions of people, to build a strong middle class.”
“Russia currently has more than 200,000 farm holdings and small agricultural businesses, and individual farmers account for up to 50% of Russia’s agricultural production. And we will continue supporting them and working to improve living standards in rural areas, to provide central gas supply, build homes, roads and infrastructure, and create conditions to attract young people.”
“We also plan to launch a project to support young farmers next year. We will be providing special grants for setting up farms using loan and leasing mechanisms, and will be helping farmers build durable and comfortable homes. Moreover, we will lift the ban on building housing on agricultural lands for farmers so that people can build themselves homes where they live and work.”
“Despite the budget deficit and post-crisis challenges, we provided benefits to small businesses engaged in the real economy, high technology, and the agricultural sector; residents of technological development zones; small enterprises operating under scientific centres and universities; and private entrepreneurs providing social services.”
“The share of small businesses in Russia’s agroindustrial sector is steadily rising. We now have more than 200,000 farm holdings and over 100,000 individual farmers. The production rate in rural small businesses is growing between three and four times faster than the industry average – I noted this when preparing for this meeting. <…> We have every reason to say that farming has established itself in Russia as a powerful economic and social entity, as a bulwark of the country, and as an important source of development for Russia and for reviving its rural communities and their rich traditions.”
“There has been no decline in entrepreneurial activity even during the crisis. On the contrary, the number of small and medium enterprises has increased by nearly 600,000 in the last two years. Higher education institutions and research centres alone have created almost 700 small companies in the high-tech industry. I repeat: We are well aware of the huge economic and social significance of small and medium-sized business in Russia. In fact, this is true of any country. We will provide the necessary assistance.”
“In 2009, we allowed the regions to introduce tax breaks for small businesses and drastically increased the range of companies that can use the simplified taxation system. We have also allowed many self-employed businesspeople to forgo the use of cash registers. This year there are plans to expand the use of the tax patent system and to allow small businesses to purchase the state and municipal property they are leasing…. Small and medium businesses also receive additional direct budgetary support each year. Ten billion roubles have already been allocated for this purpose in 2010. We also plan to add another six billion roubles from the Anti-Crisis Fund. I am confident that these measures are already yielding tangible results.”
“The crisis has not reduced business activity. On the contrary, the number of small- and medium-sized companies grew by 143,000, or 2.8% last year. In other words, people have not lost their can-do spirit. As before, they are ready to assume responsibility for their destinies. We must support them as much as we can. At the same time, it is still premature to speak about the full entrepreneurial freedom in this country. How can we talk about freedom if until recently we had 500 types of business activities that required a license, and 78% of goods sold in the country had to undergo mandatory certification? Now we have reduced the number of licensed activities to 74.”
"Last year we quadrupled financial support for small and medium-sized businesses. I would like to stress that we must continue this policy because, as the available data suggest, it has created about 200,000 new jobs. At the same time we are gradually passing into a new stage, that of post-crisis development. Here we should pay more attention to the structure of small and medium-sized businesses and extend support to high-tech enterprises."
"Small businesses will receive about 100 billion roubles in loans through VEB partner banks in 2010. I repeat, we discussed this topic recently: the mechanism has yet to be finalized, but we have the money and the opportunities to implement these large-scale plans of supporting small business. The opportunities for this are there. We still have to work out effective mechanisms that bring quick results. Small business must get about 80 billion roubles through the mechanism of guarantee funds. In supporting small business, preference should be given to productive and innovative companies. Let me add that in 2009 support for small businesses amounted to nearly 50 billion roubles, compared with 3.5 billion in 2008.
“More incentives should be given to people to start their own business. This year new businessmen are being paid a lump sum grant of 58,800 roubles. Incidentally, many have taken advantage of this measure, even though it is a bureaucratic and time consuming process. But still there have been those who benefitted from this opportunity.”
