

Photo: www.allday.ru

The Russian federal budget has so far received 1.1532 trillion rubles ($365.2 billion) in tax revenue this year, Lenta.ru reports, citing Federal Tax Service documents. That sum is 32.3 percent less than tax income in the same period of last year.

Meanwhile, tax debts have grown this year, for the first time in four years. Unpaid taxes increased by 88 billion rubles ($2.79 billion), or 7 percent, in the first quarter and reached 1.3 trillion rubles ($411.7 billion), after which the government issued special instructions to step up tax collection.

Value-added tax accounts for 41% of Russian federal tax receipts. It is followed by mineral tax, which contributes 26 percent to national coffers.

Financial hardships connected with the world economic crisis are being blamed for the downturn in tax income. Business activity has decreased, unemployment is up and tighter household budgets encourage tax evasion. At the same time government expenses have increased due to anti-crisis measures.

Under the current version of the 2009 federal budget tax income is to total 6.7 trillion rubles ($212.2 billion) for the year. Customs duties and fees are the other main source of state income. As of the end of April, those payments were down 36.5 percent to 872.56 billion rubles ($27.63 billion) from last year.