Russian Post secures status of IT company

MOSCOW. June 9 (Interfax) - Russian Post has been included in the registry of information technology companies accredited by the Digital Development Ministry, which will enable its employees to qualify for a number of preferences, the company said.

Russian Post did not specify what preferences it had in mind.

Russia has approved a whole range of support measures for its IT sector. In addition to tax breaks and subsidized loans, they include deferral of military service and subsidized mortgages for employees.

In order to qualify for the new preferences, companies must meet the following criteria: be accredited by the Digital Development Ministry; use software products listed in the registry of Russian software for provision of new types of services (ABC, advertising, classifieds, EdTech); and the share of their specialized IT revenue must amount to 70% of total revenue.

Russian Post said that in 2021 IT services, such as the pochta.ru website, mobile app and electronic registered letters, generated 52.8 billion rubles or almost a quarter of total revenues.

It was reported earlier that the Digital Development Ministry plans to decide by mid-summer on the list of requirements that banks and other companies not in the IT sector must meet in order to quality for preferences intended for IT professionals.

"In recent years we have radically changed the approach to creating new products at [Russian] Post. Many traditional postal services have already gone digital. Inclusion in the registry of IT companies is a sign that we are moving in the right direction," company CEO Maxim Akimov was quoted as saying in the press release.