27 December 2004
DAILY REVIEW FROM TATARSTAN
Putin Backs Shaimiev's Proposal To Differentiate Tax On Resource Extraction
Tatar President Mintimer Shaimiev suggested on 24 December during a meeting of the Russian State Council in Moscow that indexed tax rates on the extraction of natural resources (NDPI) be introduced, "Kommersant-Volga-Urals" reported on 25 December. Russian President Vladimir Putin backed Shaimiev's proposal and tasked Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov with overseeing the matter. Federation Council Senator Irina Larochkina of Tatarstan told the daily that the council on 24 December passed a similar proposal to the Russian government.
The tax rate on the extraction of natural resources is currently the same for all resources regardless of their scale or degree of extraction. Tatarstan, 90 percent of whose oil deposits are exhausted, has been persistently lobbying for the introduction of an indexed NDPI tax.
Tatarstan Doubles Cash Payments In Lieu Of Benefits
Tatar President Mintimer Shaimiev told reporters on 25 December that he decided to double cash payments paid from the republican budget that are to replace in-kind benefits as of 1 January, intertat.ru reported. Veterans and former victims of state repression are eligible for the payments. Shaimiev said rising housing and municipal-services expenses will mean that the monthly cash payments that were initially allocated, from 100 rubles ($3.6) to 160 rubles, are insufficient and will be increased to 200 to 300 rubles.
Tatar Deputy Prime Minister Zile Welieva said on 25 December that the republican program for social support has no equal in the Russian Federation, adding that the entire sum of state support will be one of the largest in Russia.
Federal Legislative Documents Translated Into Tatar
Tatarstan's Justice Ministry has published the Tatar version of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation for Judges of the Peace as a part of the implementation of the law on the languages of Tatarstan's peoples, Tatar-inform reported on 23 December. The ministry has also translated and prepared for publication the Trade, Land, and Criminal codes of the Russian Federation as well as the federal law on turnover of agricultural lands. Within the framework of the republican program on preservation, study, and development of languages of peoples of Tatarstan, Tatar-language courses for Judges of the Peace and their staff employees were organized this year for the first time.
Compiled by Gulnara Khasanova
DAILY REVIEW FROM BASHKORTOSTAN
New Human Rights Ombudsman To Be Appointed In Bashkortostan
The press service of Russia's Human Rights Representative Vladimir Lukin announced on 24 December that a human rights ombudsman will be appointed to Bashkortostan in the nearest future, Interfax reported. The corresponding agreement was reached during a meeting between Lukin and Bashkir President Murtaza Rakhimov. The two officials stressed their mutual efforts to guarantee the observance of human rights in Bashkortostan. They agreed that the process of choosing a human rights official is to be conducted with the active participation of civil society and that the procedure is to be transparently and objectively reported by the mass media. Lukin said he is prepared to participate in the process of choosing candidates.
Ufa Promotes Polief Privatization
Bashkortostan's Prime Minister Rafael Baidavletov sent a telegram to Russian Economic Development and Trade Minister German Gref asking him to speed up the process that will allow the privatization of the Polief chemical plant, RosBalt reported on 23 December. Bashkir government representatives told the news agency that under the previous agreement the Federal Agency on Managing Federal Property was expected to pass a decision on the privatization of a 100 percent stake in Polief by 15 December and to publish an announcement on the sale by 20 December.
The Russian Government decided to sell the Polief stake in a public tender at a starting price of 3.27 billion rubles. Three tenders held earlier to sell the plant were unsuccessful due to a lack of bids.
Compiled by Gulnara Khasanova