Vladimir Putin signed the Federal Law that equalized the tax rate on incomes of physical persons for the Ukrainian refugees and the citizens of the Russian Federation. Earlier, foreign citizens, regardless of the reason for their stay on the territory of Russia, were obliged to pay personal income tax at a rate of 30%.
Now as for refugees, including from the South-East of Ukraine, the personal income tax rate is the same as for Russian citizens – 13%. Appropriate changes to the Tax code of the Russian Federation introduced by Federal law dated 04.10.2014 №285-FZ "On amendments to articles 217 and 224 of part two of the Tax code of the Russian Federation", which the President signed on 04 October. 06 October the text of this document was published on the official website of legal information.
Previously, refugees were paid personal income tax, like all foreign nationals, at a rate of 30%. The new law has lowered that level to 13% to the rates paid by all citizens of the Russian Federation. The document clarified that the effect of the amendments apply to legal relations arising from January 01, 2014.
This benefit is only available to foreign citizens and stateless persons recognized as refugees or granted temporary asylum on the territory of the Russian Federation, in accordance with the Federal law "On refugees".
Alexander Shcherbakov (Deputy head of the Department of labour and social policy IIPAM, RANEPA) explained the wording of the "Political class" that this exemption will help the refugees not only to increase their income, but also will simplify for them the process of getting a job. Some employers were afraid to hire refugees because of high tax rates.
"The employer is comfortable to take such a person to itself, for it is necessary to pay less. Employers need highly skilled workers, in this sense the Ukrainian citizens "quoted" highly enough, in some cases, these citizens qualification higher than that of their Russian colleagues. In Russia very popular Ukrainian specialists in professions such as electricians, welders and other" - said Shcherbakov.
The initiative to reduce the rate of personal income tax for citizens of Ukraine was made by the Committee of public support of citizens from the South-East of Ukraine. Recall that this Committee was formed in June of this year on a proposal by Valentina Matvienko (Chairman of the Federation Council).
02 of October appeared information that officially according to the Council of the Federation in Russia employed about 40 thousand Ukrainian refugees.
Valery Ryazansky (Chairman of the Committee on social policy of Council of Federation) explained that "as at September 30, slightly more than half of the 40 thousand of employed refugees were able to find a permanent job in Russia, slightly less than half – time". According to him, most of jobs found for refugees in the Belgorod region, and Krasnodar Krai. In total, the program of employment of refugees involved 82 regions of the Russian Federation.
Gennady Demyanchenko (the representative of the FMS of Russia) said that since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine, more than 200 thousand citizens of Ukraine asked for asylum in the Russian Federation. Since the beginning of 2014 more than 42 thousand Ukrainians have applied for Russian citizenship (for comparison, in 2013 there were only 7 thousand).
According to the FMS of Russia only from 01 April 2014 on the territory of the country entered and remained in its territory more than 820 thousand citizens of Ukraine.
