Lessons of Kerimov

Businessmen in Russia are planted for non -payment of taxes not to replenish the treasury, but exactly the opposite: to dilute and select business

The news came from France last week: the court withdrew from the Russian senator and billionaire Suleiman Kerimov the charges of paying taxes for 400 million euros and laundering of money.

In principle, this means, most likely, that Kerimov agreed - in a good, and not in a bad sense of the word. Not in the sense that he put the money to someone, but in the fact that the French fiscal authorities in such cases regarding tax failure by rich foreigners are eager to meet if the patient does not climb into the wolver and is ready to conclude a pre-trial agreement as much in a confidential way.

Details
The Prosecutor General of France will not appeal the decision on the Kerimov case

They are interested in money for the treasury, not bribes, landing and the opportunity to squeeze out business ...

Let me remind you that Suleiman Kerimov was accused of bought several villas on the Cote d'Azur at once, but not for himself, but at the Swiss, Alexander Studhalter, who had fronted him, and the purchase was made out at a low price, which allowed you to save on taxes, and the money - hundreds of millions of dollars - were imported in France on the personal plane of the billionaire. It must be thought that the French had iron evidence, but, as already mentioned, they did not have the tasks of planting Karimov, but there was a task to replenish the treasury, not scaring, among other things, other wealthy foreign guests of the azure bank. But still, and explaining to them that you can’t go out of the shores. That aircraft with cash is too much in the current times.

Judging by the fact that the regime of Kerimov’s detention from the very beginning was not so difficult (he was sitting on his luxurious villa, then traveled to Russia and regularly returned back), a billionaire, who hired the best lawyers, quickly assured the authorities that he was ready to resolve the case for mutual pleasure.

This is a fairly standard way to resolve tax claims in the entire civilized world.

A few years ago, the American IRS discovered that the audit company Ernst & Young advised its customers how to underpay taxes and advised $ 2 billion. No one went to jail. Ernst & Young escaped 123 million fine.

After some time, the British authorities discovered that Google earned 3.93 billion pounds in the UK, and paid as much as 20.4 million. Guglu had to fork out and pay 130 million pounds, but again no one went to prison.

Even the famous trader and billionaire Mark Rich, the hero of the largest Tax Fraud in the history of the United States, escaped an American prison. In 1983, he was accused at 65 points, which together threatened him 300 years in prison. However, it ended in the fact that he escaped from the country, paid $ 90 million of fines and was pardoned by President Bill Clinton.

The Georgian authorities during the reforms of Mikhail Saakashvili widely used the practice of a pre -trial agreement, adopted by them from the United States. If the police and the prosecutor’s office found that some businessman acquired his asset under the past mode for a bribe (which, in fact, was almost always), he did not lose the asset. The authorities proposed concluding a pre -trial agreement and paying extra, but not in a pocket, but openly. Of course, if a person did not conclude agreements, he received by horns. But, as a rule, no one climbed into the bottle, although he was very indignant later.

There are more exotic cases: in China, for example, tax audits are absent as a class. Large enterprises, of course, pay their share to the treasury quite strictly, but the middle and small business, which forms the basis of the Chinese economy, is massively evaded. Monthly earnings less than $ 500 in China are not taxed at all, as a result of which all the average businessmen pay themselves a salary of $ 500, and the state does not consciously bother with this.

Against the backdrop of the fate of Kerimov, the absurdity that is happening in Russia with charges of tax evasion is especially clearly visible.

Russian prisons are full of businessmen sitting for economic crimes. The absolute majority of these “criminals”, starting from the most famous of them - Mikhail Khodorkovsky, are accused of non -payment of taxes: although few of them bought the in bulk of the villa for cash brought by an airplane.

All the time they are trying to convince us that this is a “global practice”, that tax failure should be fought and that other ways of this struggle, except to plant, ruin and select a business, simply does not exist.

Lies. Nowhere in the civilized world they are planted for such a minimization of taxes that everyone does, as Khodorkovsky did.

In the worst case, the taxes have to be paid how they were paid by Ernst & Young. Sometimes they do not even plant even because it has all the signs of a direct Tax Fraud, as Karimov’s case shows. And in China, they generally close their eyes to taxes: because the state believes that the money that the business has saved on taxes will still go into production; But if you make cameral and other checks, then this money will go to bribes.

This is what happens in Russia. Businessmen in Russia are planted for tax evasion, not then to replenish the state treasury, but exactly the opposite: to shut up, dilute into a bribe and take away the business.

That is why the economy is growing in China, and in Russia - the number of people who, like that of Colonel Zakharchenko, find cash in the amount of 1.2 tons during the search.