Experts named the main legislative novelties of the second month of summer
July is the peak of summer, the time for rest, holidays and vacations. But it is also the beginning of the second half of the year, and therefore it is from July 1 that legislators put into effect many laws and undertakings. It is noteworthy that many of them are aimed at simplifying bureaucratic procedures and reducing administrative barriers for citizens by using the achievements of digitalization. Moreover, legislative novelties cover a wide variety of segments of the population: pensioners and residents of new territories of the Russian Federation, working mothers and recipients of social benefits, clients of microfinance organizations and car owners … Experts, as always, will help to understand the pros and cons of upcoming innovations for MK readers.
Car accident settlement is now possible online — through the State Services.
The new rules apply to older Russians leaving for permanent residence abroad. In order to receive the insurance part of the pension, they need to confirm the fact of being alive by sending an application through the State Services portal to the Social Fund of Russia (SFR). If a Russian of retirement age lives in a state with which Russia does not have an international agreement or agreement on the payment of pensions, then the pension is paid in accordance with Russian legislation. Russians living abroad have the right to receive insurance pensions, state pensions (with the exception of social security), additional payments to pensions (pilots, miners, nuclear workers, veterans of the Great Patriotic War). If a pensioner does not submit an application to the FIS, the payment of pensions is suspended for six months, and then terminated. You can restore the right to receive it through the State Services portal without leaving the country of residence.
“The current legislation contains specific requirements for pensioners living outside the Russian Federation. If a citizen of the Russian Federation has reached retirement age, has a sufficient number of years of insurance experience and points, then the place of residence of the citizen does not matter for receiving a pension payment. But there are many nuances in this matter. For example, whether a pensioner (without losing the status of a citizen of the Russian Federation) will work in the territory of another country (in this case, pension payments are not indexed). Each pensioner leaving for permanent residence must submit a corresponding application to the Social Fund a month before departure. This can be done in person or through a representative. Also, once a year, you need to notify the SFR that the pensioner is alive. You can do this at a Russian consulate or embassy abroad or in person on the territory of the Russian Federation.”
Changes await military pensioners living in the Luhansk and Donetsk People's Republics, Zaporozhye and Kherson regions. Starting from July, they will receive funds according to Russian standards. Innovations also apply to those citizens who left the regions before they became part of Russia. Those who have served in the military and equivalent to it, as well as members of their families, can apply for a pension. Payments will be accrued if the applicant has permanently resided in the territory of the new regions since September 30, 2022.
“This innovation means that military pensioners living in the annexed territories will receive pensions in the same way as citizens of the Russian Federation who have the status of a military pensioner. New pensioners will be affected by the system of payments, the size of pensions will change (upward), they will be able to receive all the benefits due to them as citizens of Russia. A completely expected decision, arising from the logic of the gradual leveling of living conditions in the new and «old» territories of the Russian Federation.
Starting from July, social accruals for those who suffered as a result of accidents at work and from occupational diseases will be credited only to cards of the domestic Mir payment system. This requirement came into force at the beginning of 2023, however, the legislation provided for a transitional period of six months. This term expires on July 1st. If the recipient is not yet the owner of the Mir card, then it can be issued at any bank in the country. Upon receipt, new details must be submitted to the regional branch of the SFR.
“The reason for the transfer of all social payments only to the Mir card is clear — to protect the income of Russians from possible sanctions that may be associated with the “freezing” of payments in banks if, for example, the international payment systems Visa and Mastercard cut off the last remaining ties with Russia and , for example, they will ban the circulation of their cards on the domestic Russian market. The probability of such an event is very small, but, nevertheless, is not zero. For ordinary Russians receiving social benefits, if they do not yet have a Mir card, this transfer will create some temporary difficulties associated with the need to issue this card in a very short time. However, it will take quite a bit of time to do this. Moreover, today all major Russian banks provide the opportunity to issue a Mir card in their mobile applications. The only but significant drawback of the Mir card is that they are accepted abroad only in a limited number of friendly countries.»
From July 1, microfinance organizations will not be able to accrue on new loans for up to one year more than 0.8 percent of the debt amount per day (now — one percent), and the total overpayment, including interest, commissions and penalties, will not exceed 130 percent of the loan amount (now — 150%). At the same time, the maximum payment for the full cost of the loan will also decrease from 365% to 292% per annum.
The terms of issuance will also apply to loans up to 10 thousand rubles for up to 15 days. No more than one percent of the special loan will be charged per day (before July 1, it was two percent), the maximum amount of interest and commissions will be no more than 15 percent (before July 1 — 30%).
< p>“Reducing the maximum rate on MFI loans, like almost any economic phenomenon, has pros and cons, due to the confrontation of various interests. Reducing the percentage makes it easier for customers to service loans, reduces the unbearable credit burden. But taking into account the high share of defaults in MFIs, the rate cut hits the profitability of these organizations. And if it is excessively limited, this will contribute to the departure of these relations to the «black», uncivilized market of loans. What will worsen the situation of borrowers even more, and not improve it, will contribute to the criminalization of this area. Therefore, the new restriction can be seen as a compromise. It is necessary to reduce the debt load of MFI clients, but at the same time not to turn its participants away from this market.
In July, a law comes into force, according to which individuals will be able to receive notifications from the tax authorities through the State Services. Previously, such notifications were received only by registered mail or in electronic form in a personal account on the website of the Federal Tax Service. In order to receive notifications, you must have a verified entry in the portal. The right will automatically be granted to those who are registered on the State Services. If a citizen decides to receive notifications in another way, then he must send a notification to the tax service through the electronic portal.
“The digital maturity of citizens today makes it possible to communicate between them and the state online. It will not be difficult for active users of public services to receive tax notices. Now you can forget about registered letters and mailboxes. It is important not to forget to inform the tax authorities of your consent to receive such notices online. The taxpayer will be able to pay all taxes without leaving his personal account, and this is very convenient. The digitalization of taxation of citizens has now reached a new level of quality and convenience for people.”
From July 15, it will be possible to file a car accident through a personal account at the State Services by filling out an application for compensation for the harm caused. The convenience lies in the fact that the personal account already has information on the vehicle and its owner, so you can quickly generate a complete package of documents for OSAGO. The personal account also receives information about sending the car for repair, an agreement on the amount of insurance payment, which can be signed electronically. Also, the owner of the car will receive a message if not all documents are submitted for registration. Consideration of the application begins from the day when all the information is provided to the insurance company. After that, the terms and place of inspection of the car will be agreed. You can also get a notification about this in your personal account at the State Services.
“It is important to note that after July 15, 2023, if the accident is settled on the terms of the Europrotocol, the car owner can submit both an electronic application and use the previous procedure — by submitting a paper application and exchanging documents with the insurer. For the insurance company, however, there is no choice: if the accident falls under the conditions of loss settlement in accordance with the Europrotocol and we are talking about the procedure for direct compensation for losses, then from July 15, the insurance company cannot refuse to settle electronically. This was done for the convenience of citizens involved in an accident, and will save them from having to fill out and sign many paper documents. The convenience also lies in the fact that in this way the car owner receives a referral for repairs and an agreement on the amount of insurance payment, which is now signed by the parties on paper. Starting July 15, the car owner will not have to go anywhere to sign the agreement, he will be able to do this through his personal account on the State Services.
From July 1, care allowance for a child up to 1.5 years will be preserved if the mother leaves early for work. Also, a woman will be able to get a job with other employers during parental leave without losing her right to benefits. At the same time, the employer from whom the mother left on maternity leave will not be able to fire the employee, even if she got an additional job elsewhere.
From July 1, a single procedure for issuing compensations for payment of housing and communal services will be introduced throughout the country. To receive compensation, you must submit an application in a unified form. A prerequisite for receiving compensation is the absence of debt for housing and communal services. You can apply in person or through the State Services Portal. The term for consideration of the application is 10 working days.
From July 1, Russia will introduce an excise tax on sugar-containing drinks in the amount of 7 rubles per liter. Non-alcoholic beverages with the addition of sugar and other sweeteners, the content of which exceeds 5 grams per 100 ml of drink, will become excisable. In addition, the list will include drinks based on alcohol-containing raw materials with a volume fraction of ethyl alcohol up to 1.2% and drinks based on mineral or drinking water with an alcohol content of not more than 0.5%.
From July 15, insurance payments according to OSAGO will be able to determine the photo and video of damaged property. It will be possible to switch to such a format if both parties agree to this.