Money hunting season open as state tests tax ideas

Regardless of the reliability of this information, many progressive minds in the country are excited. Everyone, apparently, tried on the image of the parasite on himself. There was a similar excitement in 2023, when there was a rumor that the State Duma, it seems, introduced a bill "On strengthening the fight against persons (loafers, parasites, parasites) who evade socially useful labor and lead a parasitic way of existence."

Recall that in the Soviet Union, parasites were fought by decree of 1961. If a citizen shirked from work for 4 months, he was prosecuted. The idler and the major were threatened with exile to Magadan (no joke), correctional labor for up to 5 years and confiscation of property. In 1991, the article for parasitism was canceled, and the carefree lifestyle was even glorified as the crown of the career of a "competent consumer."

In modern Russia, they again started talking about the return of cars for parasites in 2016. Since loot far from ideology was already driving everywhere in the country, punishment was meant exclusively financial, without Kolyma exoticism. The then head of the Ministry of Labor proposed to levy a one-time fine of 20 thousand rubles from non-working "at first," and his deputy spoke about the possible introduction of a tax for able-bodied, but not working citizens. But, the matter did not go beyond words.

Today, the topic of parasitism is again thrown into the agenda and it is clear why it did not leave society indifferent. With the naked eye, you can see that the state is seriously puzzled by the problem: where to find more money? Previously, gaps in the budget were patched at the expense of income from the oil and gas industry and the export of raw materials. However, now the old schemes for replenishing the treasury are failing, there are enough income from oil and gas exports, it's time to include financial imagination.

The tax for able-bodied, but officially not working citizens is Trump's "The Big Beautiful Bill" in the Russian manner: a way to raise a lot of money, upsetting the few, as it were, loafers and "parasites." Who will feel sorry for them? But, by the way, according to the calculations of Mikhail Kirsanov, Director of the Department of Employment and Labor Migration of the Ministry of Labor, the number of officially unemployed Russians employed in the shadow sector of the economy is approximately 6.5 million people. The tax audience is pretty decent. The same number of people live, for example, in Serbia or Bulgaria.

In the wake of interest in parasitism, the VTsIOM analytical center quickly conducted a survey among 1.6 thousand adult Russians: the majority of Russian citizens - 59 percent, especially young people, against the tax on "able-bodied, but unemployed." Moreover, 57 percent of respondents have a negative attitude towards parasites and really associate them with homeless people and other asocial individuals. Rather, the minimum proportion of respondents is positive about them - 4 percent. Parasites are not protected, but the tax is considered an unreasonable measure of influence. Probably, citizens are frightened by the very expansion of taxation practices - today the state wants to feel the pockets of the marginals, tomorrow it will feel for me.

In general, only 33 percent of Russians approve of this measure. Although, the older the respondents, the wider support for the idea of ​ ​ shaking the "rogue." Among the generation of zoomers, that is, citizens born after 2000, the majority oppose the tax - 76 percent. But every fifth supported him - 19 percent, found it difficult to answer 5 percent.

Among the representatives of the generation of stagnation born in 1948-1967, opinions were divided: 44 percent support the tax on parasitism, 47 percent are negative, others could not say for sure. Interestingly, the older generation, remembering the persecution of parasites in the USSR, was divided almost equally. Perhaps the soft nostalgia for a stiff hand has receded in the fear of more levies.

In a conversation with the respondents, VTsIOM specialists recalled the strict punishment of parasites in the USSR and asked if a similar law was needed in Russia, which would provide for an article of the Criminal Code for able-bodied citizens for evading work. In the final, an interesting alignment turned out: the opinion of the respondents was divided: 45 percent supported the idea, 46 percent did not, 9 percent found it difficult to answer. It can be concluded that the Russians in the mass do not object to the legislative prosecution of "lazy parasites," but only if the punishment is not related to monetary penalties. Construction, sand quarry, pumping cesspools - please.

In a word, it is clear that citizens of the Russian Federation like strict punishment, "fair retribution" more than the introduction of a tax. In addition, the tax on parasites is similar to an attempt by the state to make money on a problem, and not to solve it realistically. Hence the skepticism: even those who, in principle, are not against the fight against parasitism, believe that the tax will become another mechanism for withdrawing money, which will affect not only "malicious loafers," but also those who work unofficially. The tax seems to be a measure with a broad interpretation that can affect everyone, and this causes personal anxiety.

Probably, in order to completely confuse the people, at the same time as the topic of punishing loafers with a ruble, the topic of punishing holidaymakers with a ruble sounded. That is, the introduction of an additional tax for traveling abroad. It is proposed to take 200-300 rubles per person. The economic justification of the new fiscal initiative was provided by the head of the Duma Committee on Tourism Sangadzhi Tarbaev.

As the head of the State Duma committee argued: "Based on the data on electronic vouchers for the past year, we calculate that the total amount of money that Russians took out of Russia as tourists reaches 700 billion rubles. If the added value of each voucher is 200-300 rubles, then about 5-7 billion rubles can be deducted annually. " It would be nice to use this money for the development of tourism infrastructure within Russia, Tarbaev said.

Sangadzhi Tarbaev proposed to collect the exit tax not directly from holidaymakers, tourists and travelers around the world, but through travel agencies that sell vouchers. Indeed, Russians sometimes spend a lot of money abroad. If 200-300 rubles are pinched from this huge international pie of the tourist business, "no one will notice." True, the State Duma hastened to refute Tarbaev's initiative, but it is unlikely that the idea of ​ ​ an additional tourist tax will dissolve completely without a trace. Perhaps she will pop up in the new season of the hunt for money. A symbolic 200 rubles in a couple of years can grow into a full-fledged tax "on the development of tourism infrastructure in the Russian Federation."

The general trend of the first months of 2025 is obvious: the state is feverishly looking for new sources of income, and people are well aware of this, despite the cunning "economic justifications." However, there are many mechanisms for replenishing the budget, run in at other times or in other countries. It is appropriate, for example, to recall the experience of the USSR and introduce a norm of living space per person: 9 square meters. If more - either pay at an increased rate, or wait for "compaction." Surprises may await owners of expensive cars. They are still asking for an additional tax, under the pretext of environmental collection or "social justice."

Well, and the cherry on the cake: The Government Commission approved a bill on a simplified procedure for collecting debts from Russians. From November 1, 2025, the Federal Tax Service will be able to collect debts from Russians without a court decision. Money will be automatically debited from accounts after notification of debt on the State Services website.