Kudrin's auditors criticized the state program to support small and medium-sized businesses

State support for small and medium-sized businesses, to which more than 120 billion rubles were allocated in 2014-2017, turned out to be ineffective . This conclusion was reached by the Accounts Chamber following the analysis of relevant measures. According to the auditors, it did not contribute to the growth of employment in this sector, regional subsidies were distributed unevenly, and the volume of loans issued to entrepreneurs decreased.

Details

• The targets of the state program "Economic Development and Innovative Economy" for 2017 were mostly met, but only by reducing the planned values ​​compared to 2014, the auditors write in a report reviewed by RBC.
• For example, the bar for the number of jobs created in small and medium-sized businesses was lowered from 108,000 in 2014 to 25,000 in 2018. The state program, for which the government allocated 120.5 billion rubles, did not have a significant impact on employment in this sector, explained the auditor Andrey Perchyan.
• Vladimir Putin instructed to bring the number of people employed in small and medium-sized businesses to 20 million people by 2018. As of July 1, 2018, this figure was 19.2 million people. In a new May decree, Putin instructed to bring this figure to 25 million by 2024.
• The Office of Alexei Kudrin also revealed an unequal distribution of state subsidies to support the sector among the regions - in 2014-2016, only 5 regions (out of 85) received 20% of state support, and in 2017 40% of federal funds were sent to 11 regions and less than 0.7% - eight entities. At the same time, the auditors noted that the allocated subsidies did not correspond to the planned indicators set for the regions - 209 million rubles were allocated to the Republic of Adygea. to create 73 jobs, and the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug - less than 9 million for 81 jobs.
• Experts also noticed that in 2015-2017, the volume of loans allocated to small and medium-sized businesses was decreasing. The share of loans secured by guarantees under the National Guarantee System remains insignificant: since 2016 it has increased from 1.5% to 4.8%.

Context

• In his address to the Federal Assembly, Putin set a goal to increase the contribution of small and medium-sized businesses to the country's GDP to 40% by 2024. But the Accounts Chamber stated that it is now impossible to assess how this goal will be achieved, since the statistical authorities do not keep records at all in terms of the “contribution of small and medium-sized businesses to GDP” and “contribution of small and medium-sized businesses to GRP”. According to the estimates of the Ministry of Economic Development, the sector's contribution to Russia's GDP now stands at 19.9%.

Entrepreneurs feel the influence of the state in strengthening tax and financial control over small businesses. Against this background, the level of pessimism in the sector

Liana Faizova