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
“Support from Russian citizens has always helped us, and I’m confident that the government’s future line-up will rely on the people. We must never forget about the needs of ordinary people. We must always remember how government-level decisions influence the lives of all ordinary Russian citizens.”
“Russia has been working toward the formation of a civilised labour market, which includes attracting workers from abroad. We are well aware that this is especially important for Russia. I mean our relations with CIS countries, with which we have no visa regime and practically no borders. This is a difficult social and political issue, a labour issue, an issue of international relations, and an issue of striking the balance between different areas of our national interests. We are extremely interested in labour migration being absolutely legal, so that there are no gray areas that give rise to crime and corruption.”
“Our approach is to avoid a general tax increase. For example, the corporate profit tax rate remains low (20%). On the other hand, social security premiums will grow in 2011. We have no other choice but to raise premiums because we need to pay good pensions to our senior citizens and we need the funds to modernise the healthcare system. But even in these circumstances we found a way to keep social security payments lower for IT companies, residents of innovation zones, media companies and small innovative enterprises established at universities.”
“The government has approved a programme to develop competition. Similar programmes are being adopted in the regions. They are aimed at consistently removing all the factors that lead to unjustified price growth, which includes expanding the space for free competition, nationwide as well as on local markets, and preventing the emergence of new monopolies that corrupt the economy and hinder modernisation.”
“Only large private investments will allow us to attain the strategic goals of modernising the country, and not only in those sectors where business has long been actively progressing but also in the sectors that the government dominated until recently, in particular in the social sphere, in infrastructure and in strategic industries. No government action, budget resources or administrative decisions can replace the painstaking daily work of private businesses. It is the work of businesses that is changing the nature of our economy day by day, giving it a new, innovative face. Hundreds and even thousands of projects are implemented every year, and investments have reached tens of billions of dollars.”
“We will continue supporting our grain producers and their investment projects; we will use every option at the government's disposal to help them restore their position on the global market. I also hope that our foreign partners will be understanding of our policies in light of what happened in Russia this summer. Most importantly, we will make a concerted effort to create additional stable domestic demand for grain: common sense tells us we should be in charge of our own house and have a reliable base. To do this, we will promote the expansion of livestock production and poultry farming, because these segments are major consumers of grain.”
“Social and government efforts, social and government forces must be consolidated in order to move forward along this difficult but absolutely necessary path toward development. We need a fusion of will, political power and financing, which follows the fusion of will and political power. And in this respect United Russia has been playing a very important consolidating and positive role for several years now. I hope very much that the party's organisations will try and closely monitor what is happening in their ranks, get rid of people who don't belong there and look at the people's needs. Not simply look, but react to them.”
“We have drawn up a big programme to support the Russian automobile industry. It envisages not only car scrappage but also subsidised interest on private loans for car purchases. It also includes customs tariff regulation to protect the market from imports, in a way, after we encountered competition that was unfair to our manufacturers as surplus stock flooded our market at dumping prices.”
“We are encouraging Russians to respect their health and to give up bad habits. The government approved a concept for state policy on reducing alcohol consumption last year and a similar concept to reduce smoking recently. Russia ratified the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, and this was really a significant event. We will take into account all the requirements of that convention when drafting legislation.”
“The infant mortality rate has plummeted by almost one-third compared to 2005, even as the birth rate has grown and life expectancy has increased by 3 years in the past five years, which is a lot. The average life expectancy in Russia is nearly 69 years. This might be a modest achievement for Europe, but a growth of three years in a matter of five years is a major achievement. It points to a clear trend, to positive dynamics. I am confident that this development will continue to progress.”
