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
“As far as investment is concerned, we should focus on building nearly complete projects and thereby prevent the all-out mothballing of unfinished construction projects.”
“We must prioritise wage payments to public sector workers, fulfil other social commitments stipulated by federal legislation, finance employment and business support programmes and must also continue to implement high-priority national projects, bearing in mind that they considerably facilitate domestic demand.”
“We must also prevent the budgetary system from becoming a source of non-payments in the economy, contrary to the way it had, unfortunately, happened in the past. Consequently, we must guarantee 100% payments for fuel and energy resources and municipal-utilities services for state and municipal agencies.”
“Since January, constituent entity budgets receive all gasoline excise tax and will receive an additional 0.5% of profit tax. In all, the regions will receive an extra 100 billion roubles in revenues.”
“Let me also inform you that financial assistance to regions will increase by another 300 billion roubles in line with federal budget changes. This implies 150 billion roubles' worth of subsidies for balancing regional budgets and additional budgetary loans for a period of up to three years. I would like to remind you that such resources were, until now, allocated for a period of 12 months, and that another 150 billion roubles' worth of additional resources will be set aside.”
“We stipulate more lenient terms as regards the level of co-financing expenses for receiving federal subsidies. Notably, 95% of regional employment facilitation programmes will be financed out of the federal budget, and the rest from constituent entities' own revenues.”
“We have added another 300 billion roubles to the new version of the federal budget: 150 billion will be spend on direct subsidies to the regions, and the other 150 billion will be issued as loans on favourable terms.”
“Due to the global financial and economic crisis, Russia's regions and municipalities will, unfortunately, receive much smaller revenues this year. As you know, there will also be substantial shortfalls in revenue at the federal level. First of all, we will receive smaller regional profit-tax proceeds. Other tax proceeds, including severance-tax proceeds, will also be reduced.”
“Regional employment programmes. I issued instructions to develop such programmes early in the year. I am aware that this work has been completed in 72 regions. They will get 21.8 billion roubles in funding, out of the total 43.7 billion. Fifteen programmes have been approved and 3 of them have already been signed. They are Yaroslavl, the Kirov Region, and Kransoyarsk.”
“As you know, the federal budget has entirely funded ambulance and school bus programmes as national priorities, though they legally belong to municipal affairs. I deem it necessary to help cities with modernising other municipal transport-passenger and special. I have given necessary instructions to the Economic Development, Regional Development, and Finance ministries.”
“We will also discuss strengthening the financial basis of local self-government today. I think we should ponder the prospects of passing additional sources of tax revenues to city halls. The Government is analysing relevant initiatives.”
"The Government, as I have said before, plans to compensate the region's imputed losses from the latest tax innovations. I am referring to a reduction in the profit and small business taxes and an increase of the tax rebate for people buying housing to 2 million roubles. This will allow the people to save double the sum during the acquisition of housing compared to the old scheme. This is why we have decided to turn over to the regional budgets an additional 0.5 percent of the profit tax and 100 percent of excise taxes on fuels and lubricants. The Finance Ministry has drafted the relevant amendments to the tax and budget codes."
"Regional budgets will receive an additional 0.5% of federal profit tax proceeds, or 50 billion roubles ($1.8 billion). These allocations will also be channelled into regional budgets. Moreover, regional budgets will receive 100% of petrol, oil and lubricants excise tax proceeds. The latter system will apply in all the Russian Federation's constituent entities and will account for another 53-54 billion roubles ($1.9 billion). As I have already said, these measures are expected to channel another 110-120 billion roubles ($3.9-4.3 billion) into regional budgets."
“The administration in each of Russia's regions and municipalities should employ responsible policies. Administration heads, as well as regional and city Duma deputies, should be aware of current issues and introduce timely solutions. It is important to adequately evaluate budget opportunities, to optimise the state governance system and to decrease maintenance expenses. We may have to abandon some expensive, so-called ‘status' projects whose expediency is questionable.”
"This year as many as 20 regions, that have achieved high results, will receive a bonus of two billion roubles from the federal budget. The regions are free to determine priority tasks for using these additional funds."
"I would like to stress that we are not trying to preach at local governments about the way they should operate. According to the Constitution and the law, it is their domain. They can choose priorities and the pace of reforms independently. However, it is the federal government's prerogative to allocate financial aid to regions in accordance with a local governments' efficiency. And we will certainly take advantage of this right."
"Some time ago we decided to set up a housing and utilities fund from which the regions will draw corresponding resources provided they match them with their own outlays. It is a large fund, 240 billion. The Novosibirsk Region received around 1.1 billion roubles out of that fund. That is a large amount. I must give credit to the regional leadership for their quick work because only the regions that prepare corresponding programmes will be entitled to grants. The Governor and his team have submitted such a programme promptly. But that means that part of that money can and must be used to build social facilities."
"3.2 billion roubles was allocated to the regions that lacked funds to buy fuel oil. These are the Astrakhan Region, the Murmansk Region, the Kamchatka Territory, and the Primorye Territory. The majority of territorial power grids have undertaken the necessary measures to prepare for the winter season. Coal reserves already exceed the required quota by 20%, and fuel oil reserves, by 35%".
"The decision to mark the 450th anniversary of Astrakhan was made three years ago. We drew on the positive experience of preparing for the jubilees of St Petersburg, Kazan and other Russian cities and regions. The aim of such large-scale projects is not only to mark a historical date or milestone, but above all to concentrate federal, regional and local resources in tackling the city's and regional problems in a comprehensive way, to give a powerful impetus to the renovation of utilities, transportation, social infrastructure, improving the environment and creating better living conditions".
"As for privileged rates for students, we will keep them, and not only for the Far East but also for students all over the country."
"The transport infrastructure, airport, roads, power generation, additional power plants, the gas pipeline from Sakhalin, development of the Russky Island, and construction of a new federal university. I strongly expect that this programme will be a major boost for the development of the region as a whole."
"We should certainly tackle some of the most pressing problems facing Russia’s Far East as part of the preparation for the summit. It is in fact a top priority for us. Although we are certainly honoured to host such an important international event, it is even more important to use this chance to give more attention to the development of Russia’s far-eastern regions, to tap administrative and financial resources to turn the capital of the Primorye Territory into a major influential centre for economic and cultural cooperation".
"There are plans to vastly improve the condition of Vladivostok’s streets and roads, to modernise the local airport, to rebuild and redecorate the city’s “marine facade”, to build a link between the city and Russky Island, a promising area for urban development. Overall, a total of 35 major construction and modernisation projects will be implemented".
"It is my hope that this centre (Federal University on Russky island) will not be just another higher educational establishment, but will become a real intellectual center in the Far East, a centre of attraction, a powerhouse of sorts for Russia’s Far East. And not just for Russia, but also as an educational and research centre - for the Asia-Pacific region and the world as a whole".
"We have a federal programme, one of only a few, which focuses specifically on the Far East. The programme fleshes out the details of a plan to develop the area. What is central to the plan? Infrastructure and electricity. New jobs and a more active promotion of innovative ideas than perhaps in other places. Russia’s Far East must become part and parcel of the Asia-Pacific Rim and contribute to the development of the Russian economy as a whole".
"A total of 3.2 billion roubles ($130.19 million, or €88.32 million) have been allocated to the Kamchatka and Primorye territories, and the Arkhangelsk and Murmansk regions to make up for higher fuel oil prices. Mr Kozak has already mentioned it here. This is one of the measures which should help these regions to get through the cold season without any accidents, or emergencies. A total of 1.2 billion roubles ($48.82 million, or €33.12 million) have been earmarked for the republics of Altai, Ingushetia, and Yakutia, as well as for the disaster relief efforts in the Stavropol territory. It is planned to allocate 250 million roubles ($10.17 million, or €6.9 million) to the Republic of Mari El to cover its expenses on the 7th All-Russia Rural Summer Sports Games".
"We have recently allocated additional 500 million roubles to North Ossetia-Alania. Today we are going to decide whether we need to allocate another 540 million roubles from the Reserve Fund to render assistance to the injured and to compensate for lost property. These funds should be distributed among people, 50,000 roubles for each family to compensate for lost property".
"We propose to make a list of priorities and use it to extend larger subsidies to regional budgets. The regions will have more freedom to choose how to use that funding so that Moscow officials do not tell the Governors the heads of regions how they should spend the money. The Governors, together with the regional legislatures, will be able to determine the priorities. Naturally, this system will function on condition that the targeted indicators are achieved".
"We intend to work seriously to further improve the mechanisms of federal aid to the regions. I will speak about it in more detail in a moment.<…> Today the Ministry of Regional Development is preparing amendments to the rules of subsidizing the regions to address socially sensitive problems".
