For a year, the Russians transferred $ 8.5 billion abroad

In 2008, Russian citizens transferred $ 8.5 billion to their accounts in foreign banks. The accumulation of Russian assets abroad, as in previous years, remained the most part of the cross -border operations of individuals (translations to Russia and from Russia). Such data are given in the materials of the Central Bank.

Of the total amount of funds transferred to foreign banks, $ 1.5 billion was transferred to accounts in the banks of the Netherlands. The average amount of one transfer was $ 5.2 million. The average transfer amount to replenish the account to other countries was lower. So, the transfer size to Luxembourg amounted to $ 2 million, Switzerland - $ 1.1 million, Monaco - 5 thousand dollars.

Large transfers were carried out to countries that provide a preferential tax regime and do not provide for disclosure and provision of information during financial transactions, the portal BFM.RU notes, bringing the materials of the Central Bank.

Meanwhile, in the first three months of the year, 2.7 times more investments were sent from Russia to other countries than in the same period last year - $ 19.7 billion. Countries with a preferential tax regime have become zones that accumulated the largest amount of Russian investments: 29.5%of the total amount of funds were brought to Cyprus, 21.4%in the Netherlands, 10.7%in the USA.

“With a careful study of the tax legislation of the Netherlands, it can be noted that certain types of income of enterprises of this country are exempted from corporate taxes in general. Moreover, if the enterprise registered in the kingdom by the genus of its activities may be limited to income of this category, then its tax status will not differ from what it possesses in the offshore,” the main economist of the Criminal Code Alexander Osin.

Returning to individuals, the total turnover of cross -border operations - both the transfer of money to Russia and from it - in 2008 grew by about a third compared to 2007 and amounted to $ 51.9 billion. However, due to the outstripping growth of payments abroad, the total negative balance of operations increased by 55%in 2008. From the total volume of funds transferred abroad - $ 41.1 billion - the share of transfer of resident individuals amounted to 62% or $ 25.6 billion.

As for gratuitous transfers (all transfers carried out through monetary transfer systems by resident individuals, as well as grants, donations, compensation, scholarships, pensions, alimony, inheritance, donation), their volume increased to $ 7.3 billion from 5.1 billion in 2007. Over 80% were transfers through money transfers.

According to Dmitry Orlov, director of the Marketing and Planning of the Products of the Moskomerzbank, the forecast for the circulation of cross -border operations of individuals was not justified last year. "It was expected that the turnover of such operations that are performed through the system of money transfers and" Russian Post "would be greater. But the fourth quarter has made its own adjustments, there was a significantly decrease, which continued in the first quarter of this year.

We will remind, earlier it became known that since the beginning of the year the amount of money from labor migrants from Russia sent to Central Asia countries has decreased by 30% .

Another 17% (3.3 billion dollars, 67% more than a year earlier) in the amount of transfer abroad last year fell to pay for goods and services. Basically, in this way, cars were paid. The amount of funds aimed at paying for catalogs for paying for boards: $ 62 million in 2008 against $ 41.1 million in 2007 increased. In transfers of individuals for the services rendered - 1.1 billion dollars - two -thirds fell on the services of travel agencies and operators and about 10% - to pay for services related to obtaining education.