Article
The enterprises would be given a jump start to buy new equipment

In spite of slackening in the rate of economic growth, the Government of the Russian Federation proposed to make revaluation of the equipment belonging to companies in accordance with its market price as of January 1, 2015 in the next year.

The account is laid with the fact that the outdated equipment will be imposed by increased property tax. As a result, the companies would be incented to replace it with more advanced counterpart. This will lead to general modernization of the country.

On the one hand, the idea isn’t baseless, as many plants in our country are fit with the machinery produced many decades ago, i.e. in the Soviet period, that directly influence the quality and competitive ability of the released product, service and finished costs (under general expenses on maintenance works of outdated equipment).

In this regard, the Ministry of Finance proposes to reevaluate the equipment in the accounting report of the large and medium industrial, transport and telecommunication enterprises in accordance with their market price as of January 1, 2015.

Residual value of equipment in ownership, in rent (with the right of redemption) and on lease will be subject to adjustment. The changes will be included on determination of the tax base while calculating of the property tax.

This measure won’t affect small enterprises. Besides, new requirements won’t impose the equipment in the process of disposal.
However, owing to sanctions on the part of the Western countries which prohibit among other things the supply of the double-purpose equipment, continuing stagnation of the Russian economics, it would be difficult for Russian companies to carry out the governmental plan. If the program is adopted in legislation, it will with high probability lead to short-term perspective of production cost increase and decrease of enterprise profitability. As a result, there will be inevitable price increase, the dynamics of which doesn’t fall into bounds outlined for it by financial authorities.

Article
FAS wants to deforce banks of a right to change the levels of commissions without notice

The Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) insists on personal informing of clients by banks about commissions’ level and its change. So, in the near future banks will have to forget about additional incomes from commissions for transactions on clients’ accounts. But final decision on this question has to be made by the Supreme Court (SC).

As a reminder, earlier a dispute ran high between Sberbank (the Savings bank of the RF) and antimonopoly service of Tambov region as the result of complaints of bank clients about the deduction of commission by withdrawal of money from their accounts. In depositary contracts, signed in the 2000-2004 timeframe, these commissions were not specified, in contracts a client just agreed with some separately existing bank tariffs for transactions on accounts, which also changed from time to time. The Federal Antimonopoly Service Directorate (FASD) found, that Sberbank infringes upon interests of clients by its actions and abuses the dominant position in Tambov region, what he was fined for.

Sberbank, in its explanation, told the court that it cannot reach agreement with each client individually, in such case price conditions are the same for all. That is why, according to the opinion of the representatives of Sberbank, public placement of information about commissions on stands and in clients’ folders, in internet, as well as verbal informing about tariffs is an agreement with customers. And the sheer fact, that a client has applied to the bank for a service and signed documents, is the confirmation of familiarization with tariffs and compliance with them. However, courts of three instances took the side of FAS.

The decision, which will be taken by the highest instance, will be actual for all banks, because the practice of tariff books, existing separately from depositary contracts, is wide-spread.

Representatives of banks have already note, that addressed notice of clients will be connected with extra expenses for banks, in particular with costs for SMS-informing.

However, the experts notice, that banks will incur additional expenses first of all in the course of their activity on combating with illegal cash-out of funds. So, commissions for cash withdrawal via a cash desk are charged in most cases in first 14-30 days by cash withdrawal from an account, if they were posted to it in non-cash way. Such commission is fixed for the purpose of anti-money laundering, and its level makes up to 10%. With that a customer has always an opportunity to withdraw money via cash machine without commissions. Pretenses of FAS in the matter of Sberbank were exactly concerning money-laundering commissions.

 

See also: Banks do not hurry to cut rates on retail credits