"Don't get carried away"

Garegin Tosunyan is against transferring information about borrowers to the tax authorities

President of the Association of Russian Banks Garegin Tosunyan yesterday continued the discussion about whether information about borrowers should be received by the tax authorities from credit history bureaus. As you know, the Federal Tax Service wants to receive information from banks about what loans citizens take out and how they are repaid. This information, the Federal Tax Service believes, will help it fight “black” and “gray” salary schemes, as well as other undeclared income. Mr. Tosunyan stated that he is against this proposal: if you agree to this initiative, you can discourage citizens from giving information about their loans to credit bureaus. The head of the ARB believes that the tax authority, in order to obtain information about borrowers, must have motivated claims against them as specific taxpayers, and not just a desire to receive all the information and then decide how to use it.

At the same time, the tax authorities themselves refused the bankers a counter-service. According to many bankers, the database of unscrupulous taxpayers created by the Moscow Tax Service could be very useful for credit institutions, because it is obvious that a person who has problems with taxes is unlikely to be a bona fide borrower. But the Federal Tax Service informed Interfax on June 1 that it would not provide credit history bureaus with any data on citizens’ tax contributions, since they constitute a tax secret. According to Mr. Tosunyan, if information about borrowers becomes available to the tax authorities, this will mean that it is available to everyone, since cases of unauthorized dissemination have recently become widespread. “Let’s say this to the tax authorities: gentlemen, don’t go overboard, know how to effectively and competently use your opportunities,” said the head of the ARB.

According to the head of the analytical department of the Bank of Moscow, Kirill Tremasov, one can partially agree with Mr. Tosunyan’s arguments. “However, the demands of the tax authorities can also be understood,” he says. - After all, banks submit information about large accounts to the tax authorities, and everyone perceives this normally. I think that one can adapt to such a disclosure of information, especially since this data does not contain anything secret.”

In addition, Mr. Tosunyan said that his association intends to create a credit agency to assist clients in choosing a loan product. According to him, it will not only select loans according to clients’ requirements, but also advise on how to correctly draw up applications for obtaining a particular loan, as well as help in organizing the loan issuance process. Mr. Tosunyan argues that “this is beneficial for banks,” since as a result they will receive a flow of customers.

“Now, for example, mortgage brokers are already actively working on the market, helping the client choose the most suitable bank,” notes Mr. Tremasov. — I think the creation of a credit agency is a good initiative, but such an agency should not be the only one. Such a significant function cannot be combined in one body, creating a monopoly on consulting.” “The demand for such services is very high now,” agrees Vice President of MDM Bank Anatoly Krainikov. “However, how will the distribution network be created?” This issue will become especially acute, he believes, given that the ARB plans to bring the agency to the federal level. In addition, Mr. Krainikov says, the effectiveness of the agency’s work in the car lending and consumer lending sectors raises questions: “Mortgage itself is a very complex thing, there are many different nuances, almost every mortgage borrower carefully approaches a certain decision. This is why the services of mortgage brokers are now in great demand. Customers, as a rule, make decisions on auto and consumer lending at the point of sale. They can consider several offers, compare conditions, but are unlikely to want to consult with any agency, especially when it comes to a coffee grinder or refrigerator.”

Nikolay KOCHELYAGIN