Russian govt to look for ways to promote import substitution in industry, agriculture - PM
MOSCOW. Sept 18 (Interfax) - The Russian government will explore ways to fulfill the plan for facilitating import substitution for this and next year, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said.
"At the beginning of October, a plan will be formulated for the facilitation of import substitution in industry and agriculture in 2014-2015. But, we will probably be unable to find the 4 trillion rubles that were discussed, but additional money in any case will be found in order to promote import substitution in the most important sectors of the Russian economy," Medvedev said at a State Council session dedicated to the competitiveness of domestic businesses.
At the same time, he said, changes to the state program for agricultural development are being prepared.
"Those additional funds that we are now looking for with, it must be said, great difficulty, also will go to support a whole number of agrarian projects that are new for our country, such as horticulture, wine-growing, and naturally, to the support of animal husbandry, in particular for cattle and some other types," Medvedev said.
Speaking about the prepared draft budget, Medvedev said it was balanced according to expenses and income.
"We managed to create this budget without changing taxes or imposing new taxes," the prime minister said.
There were proposals connected with the imposition of a tax on the profit of agricultural enterprises. "Perhaps someday it will be done, but I would like to say that, at present, agricultural enterprises themselves are strongly objecting to this measure, because they are not widely successful and, of course, the introduction of such a tax for them would pose quite a significant problem," the prime minister said.
