MOSCOW, February 26The Russian Ministry of Finance has a wide range of business support tools and carefully considers companies’ requests for preferences, but some projects “fly” without state support, Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said in an interview.
“»We have many tools to support business: special tax and investment regimes, tax deductions, subsidies, and so on. We are attentive to companies’ requests for preferences. At the same time, we often see that projects “fly” even without our support.” , he said.
“We understand very well that businessmen who risk their money need to be supported. Business is the basis for the state, the basis for the development of well-being in any country. Therefore, if you need help from the state to implement a project, without which it will not start, of course, we will meet you halfway «, Siluanov emphasized.
The Ministry of Finance, according to him, restrains the “onslaught” and the desire to increase budget spending, but at the same time always supports expenses that provide an additional contribution to the economy and new jobs. He recalled that the government is now actively investing in infrastructure and supporting new production to ensure the country's technological sovereignty.
However, sometimes, according to the minister, on the part of business “elements of paternalism appear, when private business says: give us benefits, subsidies, land, connect communications, infrastructure, and then we will come.”
Read the full text of Anton Siluanov’s interview >>