Today for the first time the Commission meeting was held as a video conference with all regions. It was also the first time that regional heads' reports were heard.
Igor Shuvalov stressed that the Commission receives feedback from businesspeople in all regions, through public organisations, trade and industry chambers of commerce and through their direct interaction with the President and the Government.
The First Deputy Prime Minister noted that starting July 1 a law came into effect that says small businesses will not be inspected more often than once every three years, and that spot checks will only take place if sanctioned by the prosecutor.
Igor Shuvalov noted that as instructed by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, based on the outcome of the All Russian Forum on Small Business, which took place in Moscow on April 22, the following laws were introduced at the State Duma and passed in three readings:
- on increasing the income limit allowing a business to use the simplified tax assessment system to 60 million roubles,
- on eliminating the requirement to use cash registers for businesses which pay the unified tax on imputed income,
- on credit cooperatives.
As Mr Shuvalov also said, addressing the Commission, the Government will ensure the fulfilment of demands from small and medium-sized business for access to Government procurement. Attempts by some state contractors to obstruct this will be, as the First Deputy Prime Minister said, intercepted. "We will, of course, achieve unconditional implementation of these decisions" Mr Shuvalov noted. "It is one of the priorities of the cooperation between the federal and regional authorities."
Mr Shuvalov recommended that the regions prepare proposals for amendments to laws to foster the improvement of the business climate.