For the budget deficit reduction

The deputies in the first reading supported a number of amendments to the law "On the budget of the Unified State Social Insurance Fund". The law-in-draft was presented by Alevtina Bereza, the director of the fund. It is proposed to send the balance of the republican budget, formed as of January 1, 2017 in the amount of more than 35 million rubles, to pay pensions, benefits and compensation. For the same purposes, it was planned to allocate targeted funds of about 30 million rubles under the program for the purchase of medical equipment. It is proposed in a difficult economic situation to temporarily suspend the operation of this program. The manufacturing of breastplates "Veteran of Labor" will be temporarily suspended. The shortfall in tax revenues from January to August 2017 exceeds 130 million rubles. In this connection, it is also proposed to supplement the current law with the norm that allows the USFSI to borrow from the republican budget to cover cash gaps. As the fund's head noted, loans will be interest-free.

Due to the fact that this issue affects the development of medicine, the parliamentarians decided to make two committees responsible for this law-in-draft: economic policy, budget and finance and social policy, healthcare, labor, family and childhood issues. Deputies will continue discussion of this issue at the next plenary session September 27.

Two more legislative initiatives, supported by the deputy corps, have been aimed at reducing the budget deficit. The Government proposed to amend the laws "On Personal Income Tax" and "On a Unified Social Tax". In particular, it is proposed to reduce the amount of non-taxable income in the form of gifts received from organizations from 400 to 100 calculated levels of the minimum wage of the Republic. In addition, it is proposed to include in the composition of incomes subject to taxation payments of monetary incentives to members of labor collectives of privatization objects. It is proposed to equalize the limits established for the calculation of income tax from individuals and unified social tax, in the amount of 100 MW. The drafts were adopted by parliamentarians in the second reading.