The supervisory authority came up with a legislative initiative

Saratov regional prosecutor Vladimir Stepanov put forward a legislative initiative providing for the possibility of creating a reserve fund in the region. However, the bill he proposed did not find understanding in the regional government and among a number of parliamentarians. Some experts, on the contrary, believe that the creation of a reserve fund would contribute to the successful solution of economic problems in the region. Other observers saw in the latest initiatives of the head of the supervisory authority his desire to go beyond the scope of “prosecutorial functionality.”

The prosecutor of the Saratov region, Vladimir Stepanov, put forward a legislative initiative to create a legal basis for the creation of a regional reserve fund. The project was announced on April 14 at a meeting of the budget committee of the regional Duma. Commenting on the initiative of the supervisory agency to Kommersant, Oleg Petrov, senior assistant prosecutor for interaction with representative and legislative bodies of the region and local self-government, clarified that “the entity has no obligation to create such a fund.” “The prosecutor’s office is doing this to ensure that regional legislation is maximally adapted to the requirements of the federal one (Federal Law No. 310 “On Amendments to the Budget Code of the Russian Federation”, supplemented by Article 81.1 “Reserve Fund of a Subject of the Russian Federation”) and would provide for all legal possibilities,” said He. “I believe that the idea of the federal legislator was to provide for certain means that, in a crisis, could be aimed at minimizing its consequences.” The supervisory authority did not explain from what funds the fund will be formed and in what volume, specifying that this will depend on the regional law, which will be subsequently developed and adopted by the regional parliament.

The deputies generally supported the prosecutor's initiative, but decided to discuss it in more detail with the participation of all interested parties. For now, the bill has been submitted to the next Duma meeting, which will be held on April 22, with a recommendation “for consideration.”

Meanwhile, the opinions of experts and parliamentarians were divided. According to Maxim Osadchy, an analyst at Antanta Pioglobal Management Company, in conditions of increased risks, of course, it is necessary to develop such instruments and keep part of the budget funds in a fairly active form, for example, on various deposits, in liquid securities. He recalled the situation that arose in the Saratov region when the regional government held an auction for a bank loan in the amount of 1.5 billion rubles. “Taking out a loan is a reaction to the fact that there are no funds,” Mr. Osadchiy clarified. “It’s good that regional authorities understand this and are starting to develop an instrument similar to a reserve fund.”

The chief economist of Alfa Bank, Natalya Orlova, on the contrary, considers the creation of such funds inappropriate and meaningless. “A subject such as the Tyumen region, where there are large incomes from oil production, should come up with such a proposal,” she noted. “In the near future we will see a situation where the federal component will strengthen and the regional budget deficit will be covered by federal funds.”

The regional government holds a similar opinion. And about. The head of the regional Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, Alexander Ulyanov, suggested that subsidized regions may not be allowed to create reserve funds, “so now it is premature to talk about the procedure for its formation.” At the same time, Mr. Ulyanov recalled that the current concept of “reserve fund” is already spelled out in the regional budget in the form of the government’s reserve fund. The region also has a development budget, noted the acting director. head of the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, this year it amounted to 44 million rubles, and in previous years it was 170 and 154 million rubles. “I think that the next reserve fund is more populism. There are more questions than answers with him,” the official believes.

The head of the budget committee of the regional Duma, Vladimir Kapkaev, in turn, noted that “if this had appeared in the budget code of the Russian Federation a couple of years ago, it would have been interesting.” “Even this year we don’t have enough funds to cover our existing obligations,” says the deputy. — So far they are being implemented at the same level as last year, and the budget is a quarter larger than last year. I don’t see how to form the fund.”

“The formation of a reserve fund at the level of a federal subject is quite logical and advisable if there is a clear understanding of the volumes and intended purpose of spending funds,” says Igor Zhigunov, deputy chairman of the board of LLC City Mortgage Bank. “Until recently (no amendments - Kommersant), this fund was formed at the federal level and, accordingly, the implementation of tasks in the constituent entities with the need to quickly attract funds from the fund was more difficult.” Now, Mr. Zhigunov predicts, it will be much easier and more efficient.

Meanwhile, Saratov political scientist Alexander Panteleev saw the reason for the latest financial and economic initiatives of the head of the regional supervisory authority in the fact that Vladimir Stepanov “has become cramped within the framework of his functions.” “Recently, the regional prosecutor on his site proposed organizing a so-called banking club” with the participation of representatives of credit institutions with a state share, the political scientist recalled. “Now there’s a new initiative, and again an economic one.” Mr. Panteleev believes that these initiatives also have a downside. “In fact, both banks and the budget should be handled by specific divisions of the regional government,” he noted. “It turns out that they are not finalizing their work in this regard, and prosecutor Stepanov is doing their job?”

Alexey Murzov, Tatyana Nikitina

The prosecutor's office will reserve the fund