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2014/10/29 10:00:57

Fund of support of the Russian software

The fund created on an initiative from which it is supposed to finance development of the Russian software products. The Minister of Communications Nikolai Nikiforov suggested to create a fund due to collecting of assignments from sales of software licenses from developers. Afterwards he recognized this mechanism inefficient and announced that another is considered: canceling of the existing tax benefit for developers.

Content

2014

Putin supported the idea of the Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications about 10% collecting from software suppliers

On September 24, 2014 the Minister of Communications Nikolai Nikiforov reported to the Russian President Vladimir Putin on an initiative of support of the Russian software makers (software). The meeting took place within execution of May order of 2014 of the Russian President by the Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications of the Russian Federation to the Government to work measures for import substitution in various sectors of the economy.

At a meeting Nikolai Nikiforov noted that many state customers and commercial enterprises in Russia are concerned by that situation which developed in the field of IT.

"It is, first of all, monopolism of the certain countries and separate companies, literally several — them can be listed on fingers — in the field of information technologies. Also revelations of the unprecedented illegal facts of collection of information of hundreds of millions of Internet users by intelligence agencies of the certain countries played a role, of course. A number of the companies was refused from deliveries of a hi-tech computer hardware, a software update. Customers became really very picky, look for alternatives, including, want to buy the Russian products" — the Minister of Telecom and Mass Communications of the Russian Federation told
.

Nikolai Nikiforov emphasized that there are no full-fledged alternatives to system solutions in the field of software around the world today, and added that many countries have a serious concern about this monopolism.

For the solution of the developed problem the Minister of Telecom and Mass Communications of the Russian Federation suggested to develop the comprehensive program which will allow to support the Russian software makers and to develop all necessary set of products for ensuring information sovereignty of Russia and support of the friendly partner countries.

The Russian President Vladimir Putin at a meeting with the Minister of Telecom and Mass Communications Nikolai Nikiforov

As one of support forms Nikolai Nikiforov suggested the President to consider creation of the separate trust fund on development of the Russian software, and as model for it — a form, similar Fonda of the universal communication services (UCS). Let's remind, at the expense of this fund now in Russia the project on construction of the communication fiber lines (CFL) for providing residents of all small settlements numbering from 250 people with Internet access is implemented.

The Minister of Telecom and Mass Communications of the Russian Federation noted that in the field of software there is a special privilege on the VAT within which software licenses are assessed on a zero rate. At the same time three quarters of actually deliverable software are foreign.

"We consider that in these conditions introduction of separate target collecting is possible — Nikolai Nikiforov told. — Its size should not exceed 10%, it can be even a certain floating scale, by years, it is necessary to look in process of requirements of the market. And on these target means we will be able to support the Russian companies which such developments can perform. Who proved by deed, not by word and already has a certain export potential".

Nikolai Nikiforov emphasized that financing sources of fund of support of the Russian software will not infringe upon the interests of the Russian developers.

The Russian President Vladimir Putin supported the idea of creation of fund and charged to handle this issue in the Government and also to discuss it with the Ministry of Economic Development and the Ministry of Finance.

Responses of market participants about an initiative

Negative

The first public responses of the Russian software developers about an initiative of the minister were not too enthusiastic[1]. So, for example, the CEO and the president of ABBYY groupSergey Andreyev believes that when there are difficulties in economy, in general any increase in taxes on business works always negatively.

The head of 1C companyBoris Nuraliyev considers that it would be difficult to develop own system products to the IT companies for own money and "means, likely, subsidies are necessary", however, "one more tax not can be pleasant to business".

The CEO of SKB KonturDmitry Mramorov called the "turnover tax" offered by Nikiforov problem. According to him, the software makers who are exclusively owning the market will be able easily to shift this collecting to the consumer, but where there is competitive environment, it will be to make is problematic.

The CEO of Ashmanov and Partners companyIgor Ashmanov [2] that Nikiforov's proposal on creation of the trust fund of support of development of domestic software on the basis of 10% of target collecting from developers - "absolutely unacceptable and destructive for the country". According to it which is absent or not ready at the moment in the Russian Federation key software (for example, desktop OS, server OS, mobile OS, etc.) can be rather quickly and by small forces is implemented/is finished by the companies which are available in the market based on already available solutions and products, or open projects, Ashmanov gives one of arguments.

"For example, by some estimates, mobile OS based on Linux/Android can be developed on the basis of the open source software in 12-18 months by forces no more than 100-150 people, the same is right concerning DBMS (based on PostgreSQL/Linter), - he says. - Against the background of this reality the offer of Ministry of Communications to rob domestic developers, and then import substitution of key software to make for several long years in some other companies by forces from where the undertaken 20,000 developers looks very strange and unreasonable".

Negatively also the CEO of InfoWatchNatalya Kasperskaya who also the free software based on which it is possible to make rather fast completions is [3] that in Russia there are developments, or apprehended the idea.

"We will actively beat off. On September 29 four computer Associations wrote the letter on the disagreement with this initiative in the Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications. Now there is a work on creation of similar letters from other business associations. And we calculate that our industry ministry after all will begin dialog with the industry on this subject, and we will manage to come to some compromise solution. After all analogy of the ministry to collecting from operators in this case is wrong", - she said.

Positive

In an interview of RBC in October, 2014 the founder and the CEO of AcronisSergey Belousov noted that similar laws work also in some other countries the world, for example, in China or Brazil. It was also positive that "The Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications and its IT department very actively consult with the industry" about it. Saying that some players of the market speak against introduction of similar collecting, Belousov noted that, according to him, the industry "just glyuknut".

"When about it at first it was told, the industry decided that will tax both the Russian, and not Russian developers, and on behalf of several developers the industry at first fell apart to it. But with clearing all this looks a little in a different way. And the mechanism of collecting is opaque as so far it is only the project", - the CEO of Acronis says.

According to Sergey Belousov, the most important in the field of software is where it is developed. In his understanding, the general idea of an initiative consists in that 10 percent collecting was levied only from software made not in the territory of Russia that thus software made in the territory of the country got price advantage. And what is more important, Belousov that then the raised funds were spent for subsidizing development of software in the territory of Russia, especially – software of an important, strategic importance adds.

Saying about where exactly it would be possible to spend the funds raised from sales of software, Belousov noted that the largest world software developers are provided, generally the developers of platform products who in the majority are based in one country. It would be good that such software was created not only in one country, however to create it long and expensively, and to private business to finance such projects very hard, he told.

Nikolai Nikiforov and Sergey Belousov [4]

Determination of the Russian software developer at the same time should go concurrent process together with study of an initiative of charges, the founder of Acronis believes. In his understanding if software is created in the territory of Russia and then it is stored on local servers, this software – the Russian origin is tested and extends from the territory of Russia, then.

Speaking about if the law is adopted in option where one of criteria – accessory of the developer of software to Russian persons for 51% and more, Belousov selects three main problems.

"The first of them is connected with the fact that the one who possesses the company – not so important because the company can and belong for 90% to Russians, but at the same time software will be not the Russian origin. In this case owners do not control that, actually, in software is. It is controlled by developers who will hardly begin to make some actions contradicting the legislation of the country", - he says.

Other offered criterion – that at most 25% of employees were not Russians. It is quite reasonable, but at the same time it is possible to provide a situation in which about 20% of staff of the company are developers who everything are citizens of other country, Sergey Belousov argues, adding, as in this case software will be not the Russian production.

The third criterion – that sales of software should be conducted in Russia – it finds strange: "To many people both in the industry, and in the state it is clear that it is necessary that in Russia were created by Huawei.Huawei is the Chinese company which develops software in the territory of China, but not only, and at the same time sells around the world".

It should be noted that Sergey Belousov publicly expressed to the first of heads of the private IT companies support to Nikolai Nikiforov's initiative. From the companies with state participation earlier approvingly Rostec about it responded: "Today three quarters of the equipment used in Russia are import. Russia should develop own technologies, and without the state policy aimed at the development of the Russian solutions it will be impossible to make it", the company through service of communications sounded the position. The position directly about 10-procentry "sales tax" in the company at the same time was not sounded.

Instead of "tax" on sales of software - canceling of a privilege on the VAT

At a meeting of the Government commission on use of IT for improvement of quality of life and conditions of conducting business activity on October 28, 2014 the Minister of Communications Nikolai Nikiforov recognized inefficient the mechanism of formation of a fund of support of developers due to assignments from sales of software.

"The option of separate target collecting was initially assumed, but we stopped practically at once that introduction of a separate type of collecting – it is rather inefficient, it is difficult to administer, it simply complicates business conditions in our country, and it is necessary to use all operating mechanisms", - he said.

The idea of creation of fund at the same time remained in force. According to Nikiforov, for formation of a fund such option as canceling of a privilege on the VAT for the licensed software is considered.

"We really consider such option – canceling of a privilege on the VAT for a licensed software. At the same time this question is in an approval stage. Here should not be some, you know, such sharp solutions. This issue is discussed including with representatives of the industry", - the Minister of Communications told.

Dmitry Medvedev at a meeting of the Government commission on use of IT

According to Nikiforov, regarding canceling of a privilege on the VAT different options are discussed, and there is already "a certain stage of approval of the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation".

Nikolai Nikiforov added that at the same time the main thing - not specific forms of a financing source, but determination of the accurate directions what development of software should be supported from the state in order that in five-year-old-seven-year perspective the Russian developers had "very serious technology backlog fully to speak as players at the world market".

The minister said that his department sees about 5-7 directions in which it is necessary to develop the industry. He designated by like those DBMS,client operating systems, server operating systems, geographic information systems and also systems work-related with documents and interaction of people. The systems of e-mail, carrying out audio-and video conferences, work planning, traditional office applications concern the last.

Speaking about the one who will directly dispose of a fund, the minister noted that at first it is worth waiting for the decision on a financing source because proceeding from what it will be it will be possible to see what is required the correct model.

"The fund of support of domestic software" lost the second potential financing source

In December, 2014 the Minister of Telecom and Mass Communications Nikolai Nikiforov on the twitter quickly commented on the words of the Russian President Vladimir Putin from his performance before Federal Assembly about "fixing" of tax rates for the next four years[5].

Putin's performance before Federal Assembly took place on December 4, 2014. Its thesis concerning freezing of tax rates literally was heard so: "I suggest to record the operating tax conditions for the next four years and not to return to this question any more, not to change them".

In the Message to Federal Assembly Vladimir Putin did not concern a development subject in Russia of information technologies, however his statement for the invariance of tax conditions directly concerns the idea of the Minister of Communications about creation in Russia of "Fund of support of domestic software". The VAT which could be deducted from sale of license software products was considered by Nikolai Nikiforov as a possible financing source of such fund.

To fill Fund from means of the VAT from sale of software, previously it is required to change a rate of this tax which, in relation to software products, now in Russia is 0%.

Though Vladimir Putin's words have no legislative force, Nikolai Nikiforov writes in the twitter about freezing of tax rates as about a reality: "Increase in taxes for business within 4 years in Russia will not be. Thus, canceling of 0% of a VAT rate for the licensed software will not be".

Notes