Transcript of the beginning of the meeting:

Vladimir Putin: Mr Mishustin, you are relatively new to your post, but you are not new to the system as a whole and you understand it. I hope that this work will be carried out as we agreed, professionally.

Overall the system is operational and is functioning effectively. I expect that under your management it will only improve.

This relates to the attitude towards business in the current law, and it also applies to tax collection. Let's not forget that this is the taxation service's main function.

What is your assessment of tax collection in the first quarter this year compared with that of the same period in 2009?

Mikhail Mishustin: Mr Putin, in the first quarter this year some 825 billion roubles went into the consolidated budget of all levels of government, ie the municipal, the regional and the federal government, which is 32% higher than the same period in 2009.

So the system is operating stably now, and the economy has started to revive. That is why we now see taxation producing a stable revenue stream for the treasury.

Firstly I would like to mention that, as you said, our goal is to improve tax administration. We have put in place measures to ensure people abide by the law on tax. Of course, we envisage a modern taxation service built on a high-quality tax administration system using the most up-to-date information technology. Sorry, I don't mean to suggest that we will build this system, rather, we will...

Vladimir Putin: ... support it at that level and develop it, I think.

Mikhail Mishustin: support it and improve it.

Vladimir Putin: So the tax collection in the first quarter this year is 32% higher than in the same period last year?

Mikhail Mishustin: Yes.

Vladimir Putin: That's good.