Vladimir Putin has scotched all the hopes of businessmen for a postponement of pension reform and for being able to save on social benefits. The transition from the Unified Social Tax (UST) to insurance payments, increased burden on wage funds and reevaluation of pension rights in 2010 will go ahead, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin told the second All-Russia Pension Forum. As of January 1, previously acquired pension rights will be reassessed in the process of valorisation. As a result the old-age work pension will exceed 8000 roubles a month.
Insurance contributions will be used to form additional incomes on social off-budget funds instead of the Unified Social Tax. "In 2010 the tariff will remain at 26%, as in 2009. The postponement is due to the need to leave additional resources for business to help it out of the crisis," the Prime Minister said. "But beginning from 2011 insurance contributions will grow to 34%." However, the Prime Minister said that in the course of transition from the unified social tax to insurance contributions before 2015 a preferential regime will be preserved for certain categories of the insured. That applies for enterprises run by the national organization of disabled people, folk arts and crafts, residents of technical innovation special economic zones and agricultural producers.
Ilya Belykh