The territories of advanced development, the list of which will be given below, became another attempt by the country's leadership to follow the Chinese path. It involves the formation of special areas, the so-called economic locomotives. Next, we will consider what the territories of priority development in Russia are and why they are needed.
History reference
In the early 90s, the government proposed a list of priority development areas. However, as history shows, the developed programs have not been fully implemented. In 1991, a law was passed regulating the influx of foreign investment into the domestic economy. Its provisions established certain benefits for some foreign entrepreneurs. In particular, a simplified registration procedure, reduced tax rates, long-term rent at a low price, a visa-free regime and a reduction in customs duties were assumed. Since 1996, the country began to create SEZs. So, the first special zone was formed in the Kaliningrad region, the second - in Magadan. For the latter, a program was developed until December 31, 2014. However, there are no successes in its implementation. A bill was also passed on a special zone within the Baikal-Amur railway line. The fate of the program is also unknown.
Early development
Of the 17 special zones created, only 6 were successful. Tourist areas turned out to be the most problematic. As noted by the General Director of JSC "SEZ" Tretyakov, this was due to the wrong method. In fact, nothing was discussed with the investor, he was not given the right to choose a place for the implementation of the program. In addition, port zones are not being actively developed. Experts suggest that this may be due to the reluctance of the regions themselves to engage in their promotion.
New round
Despite the setbacks, the evolution of special zones continued. Currently, some SEZs can expand to the regional level. Special zones are considered a rather flexible tool for attracting financial resources to the economy. During Medvedev’s presidency, a law was passed whose provisions governed the formation and functioning of territorial development zones. Thus, a new concept was introduced. ZTR is a part of the entity where favorable conditions are formed for the activities of investors. The purpose of these zones was to accelerate the socio-economic development of the region. The creation of favorable conditions implied the provision of state support to investors. However, she looked more modest in programs than was envisaged in the 1991 project. Management of such zones should be carried out by a specially formed administration. Currently, ZTR has been created in 20 regions.
Fourth attempt
At one of his speeches before the Federal Assembly, President Putin proposed the creation of priority development territories. He supplemented the list of existing districts with a number of localities. At the same time, the president identified priority areas. In particular, special attention, according to him, was deserved by the territory of priority development, the Far East, remote from the center. Among the areas requiring investment, the president also named Siberia, in particular, Khakassia and the Krasnoyarsk Territory. The head of state also proposed conditions through which the territory of priority development will be attractive to investors. In particular, it was about a five-year tax break, a preferential rate of insurance premiums, a simplified procedure for passing customs, connecting to the electric grid, and obtaining building permits. In addition, a clear program should be developed, in accordance with which the territory of priority development will operate. The Far East requires the construction of related infrastructure. This task will be implemented at the expense of the relevant Fund.
What is the difference between SEZ and TOP?
The territory of priority development, in accordance with regulatory enactments, has a slightly different status than a special zone. The creation of such areas in one locality is not allowed. As such, the territory of priority development from the SEZ does not have. Perhaps the only difference can be considered the duration of functioning. So, a special zone should operate for 20 years, 12 years - the territory of priority development.
Bill: general information
Its action is aimed at establishing a legal regime for the areas in question. Measures to support investor enterprises are normatively defined. In addition, the Federal Law "On Territories of Advanced Development" regulates all other relations that relate to these areas.
Established definition
The territory of accelerated development is the region of the Far Eastern Federal District, on which special legal regimes are established for carrying out entrepreneurial and other activities. The formation of this zone is carried out at the expense of the federal and local budgets, as well as other sources. The normative act establishes a special procedure for the formation of the territory of priority development. Primorsky Krai gains a special status. In accordance with it, the legal status of residents and the specifics of their commercial and other activities are determined.
Legal regime
The Law on Advanced Development Territories establishes:
- Preferential rental rates.
- A special procedure for the use of land.
- Tax and insurance benefits.
- A special procedure for conducting state control, municipal supervision.
- Preferential mode of connection to various infrastructure facilities.
- The provision of special public services.
- Using the regime of free customs territory.
- The possibility of attracting foreign qualified personnel on a preferential and expedited basis.
- The use of sanitary and technical regulations following the example of the most developed OECD countries.
Administrative staff
The Law on Territories of Advanced Development establishes specific powers for state authorities. Within the districts, special units of executive and other bodies (the Federal Tax Service, the Ministry of Emergencies, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and so on) must operate. By establishing a special order, the general level of administration of the region will be increased following the example of similar zones in foreign countries.
Privileges
Since 2014, a special tax regime has been introduced in the Irkutsk region, Transbaikalia, the Far East and Buryatia. It was planned to reduce personal income tax to 7%, income tax - up to ten. Moreover, during the first five years it was supposed to make the latter zero. However, in this case, experts noted some contradiction. In particular, Medvedev pointed to a special tax regime, which should have been aimed at stimulating non-oil exports. A number of government measures, in turn, affected the tax on the extraction of ferrous and non-ferrous metal, coal, and gold. At the moment, a single direction has not been developed. This creates certain opportunities for the activities of "influence groups".
Enterprise Migration
After Medvedev announced the strengthening of the powers of the Ministry for the Development of the Far East, this agency, taking the opportunity, suggested transferring all the shares of the Development Fund for the Baikal and Far Eastern Regions to the state. In fact, it acts as a subsidiary of Vnesheconombank. Thus, a transfer of shares would only mean a redistribution of resources. At the same time, the ministry put forward a proposal on the formation of additional institutions. In particular, it was about Far East OJSC, an autonomous non-profit organization Agency for the Support of Export and Attraction of Investments in the Far Eastern Federal District, as well as ANO Agency for the Development of Labor Resources.
As a result, together with the proposed closure of special economic zones in the Magadan Region and Sovgavan in the Khabarovsk Territory, one can note the ousting of the Ministry of Economic Development from the territory of the Far Eastern Federal District. The available resources, therefore, will be concentrated in the hands of the Ministry of Eastern Development.
Volume of investments and employment
The development of the Far Eastern region requires about 3.3 billion rubles. This figure is set for the period until 2020. Of this, about 170 billion p. planned to allocate for 2014. Experts noted the beginning of the struggle for allocated funds in the federal center. The government itself prefers today the Ministry for the Development of the East. However, some large state-owned companies probably do not want this. One of the planned measures is the employment of personnel of enterprises of single-industry towns. In particular, I mean AvtoVAZ employees. In addition, a deferment from the army is introduced for residents of the Far Eastern Federal District and citizens who moved there.
conclusions
Theoretically, as experts say, with the implementation of all, or at least most of the proposed measures, the Far Eastern region can turn into a territory fundamentally different from the rest with a special administrative and tax status. Some experts even say that the Far Eastern Federal District may become an analogue of Hong Kong. However, whether this will be implemented in practice is not yet clear. At present, even the prerequisites for something resembling the concept of "one state - two systems" are not noted. Skeptics believe that the territory of priority development may remain in the plans, like national projects, doubling the GDP and other unrealized programs.
Opinions and suggestions
As M. Abyzov noted, the government of the state intends to compete even with the newly formed territories of priority development in Korea, Japan, and China. At one of the meetings of the Ministry, a new concept was presented on the organization of extrabudgetary funds in the Trans-Baikal region and the Far Eastern Federal District. Scientists also addressed the meeting. They proposed to improve the development of exploration, form terminals and more. One of the proposals of the researchers was perceived as practically revolutionary. In particular, scientists spoke about the creation of development funds for the Far Eastern region and Siberia, in which 20-25% of all export profits of extracted raw materials would be concentrated without transferring them to the "center". This idea was voiced by Vladislav Inozemtsev. Later, it was put forward at a government meeting by Igor Slyunyaev (Minister for Regional Development).
It was absolutely justified by the experts that, for the successful implementation of the tasks set, strategically conceptual documents should be adopted. Cerdy of other proposals of the Ministry for Regional Development sounded the idea of improving the transport network, which should have been allocated 300 billion rubles. In addition, the attention of government officials was drawn to the Magadan region. So, it was proposed to build an ice-free port on its territory (in Providence Bay or in Magadan itself). At the same time, the Ministry of Transport began to prepare the necessary amendments to the provisions of the Tax Code. They should provide compensation for the costs of port operators, which will occur in the case of the construction of port checkpoints, significantly accelerating the processing of goods.
