Vitaly Leibin: New oligarchy without brakes

“Sharks of Capitulism” - so wittyly called today the editorial in “Kommersant” about yesterday's bustle of Vladimir Potanin with the merger of the RSPP (large business) with “Business Russia” (Central) and “Rossi of Russia” (Small). Everything is right. Although the oligarchic trade union capitulated not yesterday , but on the very day when Putin arrived at the Congress of the RSPP and Chubais did not arrive.

In 2003, politicians and parties went to a similar surrender, including the same Chubais, agreeing in advance that the election results will be determined in the Kremlin. It seemed a pragmatic conspiracy - so that at least a little bit to the TV, you do not need to speak on some topics and scold the president. In order to give at least something, it was not necessary to quarrel with the administration and advance in those districts where those who should win. Everything is right.

In the same way, we are dealing with a situation where the former oligarchs almost agree in advance that the authorities have the right to their companies and capital.

Politically, this is a process with a folding of the project of “equidistance” and the discovery of the unpleasant physiognomy of the new oligarchism. Moreover, the oligarchs will from time to time be appointed again and gnawing each other. Large state -owned companies (such as Gazprom or Rosneft) will be allowed in domestic markets (see reports on how Gazprom communicates with TNK -BP, and Aeroflot with Sheremetyevo). Lobbitist groups (from the Ministry of Defense to some particularly allocated corporations) will be little limited in their actions. And so - until the tactical situation will bring to the surface of the latest rulers. Moreover, even Vladimir Potanin, showing miracles of loyalty, is unlikely to fall into the ranks of new oligarchs.

The oligarchic RSPP is, in general, the Putin’s brainchild, a symbol of hopes at the beginning of the “honest game”. The president, having dealt with Boris Berezovsky, said that, they say, now everything is equally: want to influence - influence openly at meetings with the government and the president. It was a period of Putin's romanticism: either with philatelists at the “Civil Forum” he would chat, then with the capitalists at the round table. Then it turned out that neither philatelists nor capitalists are no longer needed.

The large half of the news about reforms last year was carried out at the regular meetings of the RSPP in the government. Moreover, the beginning of 2003 was noted even by the union of the President and the RSPP on the theme of “ambitious plans”. Listening to Kahu Bendukidze at that time, it seemed that the government was about to take on the risk of real reforms.

But if without romanticism, then, of course, the work of the RSPP on tax reform and foreign exchange regulation suffered from a serious flaw. For some reason, the oligarchs succeeded that part of the reforms that was directly related to business interests, and much worse-with an improvement in Russia in general. For example, the oil women dealt with the taxation easier and more fully than with a simplified regime for small businesses.

If you seriously understand Potanin’s words that now the united business will protect the interests of small businesses, then this can be a direct response to such reproaches. Nobody ever (including the oligarchs) doubted that sooner or later it would be necessary to “repay debts to the country”, in the sense - invest in the development of Russia. Some invested in their provinces, others went to Putin to consult where to invest better money, and others invested in government policy.

Russia had different ways to use large capital that arose in the era of privatization. The most successful move would be the following principal scheme. As a result of the reforms of the 90s, the almost liberal system developed in Russia: the rigidity of the laws again was more than compensated by the optionality of their implementation. Further, the legalization of the existing economic and social ways was to be followed wherever they have growth potential (to mitigate the laws wherever they are not fulfilled, but it is really possible to achieve the inevitability of punishment in other cases). Roughly speaking: and not to try to collect taxes from that part of small business from which almost nothing is going to. There is a logic of justice in this: whoever receives more services from the state, he pays more. Small business survives itself - despite the efforts of the state, and by and large, it owes nothing to anyone. But the oligarchs, respectively, would have to pay the most. And they, as I understand it, do not mind.

But here is the problem. And even two. The first - who pays, he orders music. Those who give most of the taxes must also have the opportunity to control budget expenditures. The second - the mitigation of laws would deprive the state bodies of the opportunity if you want to run into anyone.

Now, in fact, the bureaucracy is actually won, which does not need the company to control the budget and that the citizens are clean before the law and have rights. And in general they were citizens. Hence our specific taxes and a way to collect them, registration, etc.

But despite the decision of a part of the business elite, you need to have a different path before your eyes. Even if a certain number of bosses made a choice, then the country seems to be not yet.