The share of companies in need of state support increased to 80% – RBC

CSR survey: 80% of companies need state support due to antiquated restrictions

By the end of the year, 80% of Russian companies had already declared that they needed state support against the backdrop of a pandemic, the CSR survey showed. Although federal authorities postponed one of the draft laws on QR codes, restrictions in the regions hit business revenue

In December 2021, 80% of Russian companies said that they need support from the state – this is 30 percentage points more than six months ago, follows from the latest survey by the CSR “Business Climate in Russia” (RBC has it). Not all companies were able to recover in 2021 as expected, the CSR explains. Earlier, the federal business ombudsman Boris Titov stated that the current measures to support business were insufficient. He pointed out that regional restrictions in the form of mandatory QR codes in certain areas reduce the revenue of enterprises in the catering, leisure and sports industries.

Most often, companies from the light and food industries, trade and services, heavy industry talk about the need for state support, the CSR notes. The most attractive support measures remain to reduce the tax burden and defer taxes and insurance premiums (for 40% of companies), subsidize tariffs and mandatory payments, for example, in the housing sector (for 37% of respondents), and deferral of rent payments (27% of respondents). In the course of the survey, it was possible to give several answers.

Although the federal authorities have postponed and sent for revision one of the two high-profile bills on mandatory QR codes – on certificates on trains and on airplanes, certain regions are tightening antique restrictions and, in particular, introduce the requirement to have a QR code for visitors to restaurants and cafes (Chelyabinsk region), swimming pools and saunas (Kamchatka), for university students (Amur region), etc. The State Duma has already adopted in the first reading the bill on QR codes in public places. “The introduction of the access mode by QR codes leads to a decrease in revenue of up to 80% (that is, a fivefold decrease. – RBK) in the field of public catering (at the same time, other restrictions apply), in the field of the fitness industry, only the mention of restrictions (including in the form of QR codes) brings down subscription sales by more than 80%, “Titov wrote in a letter to the Prime Minister. Minister Mikhail Mishustin on November 17.

In November, the small business business activity index (RSBI) calculated by Promsvyazbank, Opora Rossii and Magram Market Research fell from 53.2 to 50.3 points, close to the 50-point watershed (values ​​below indicate a decrease in business activity) …