On March 25, 2020 the Russian president Vladimir Putin made an official announcement and clarified some of the measures to support businesses. Those initiatives required additional procedures and practical measures to be worked out by the Russian Government. On April 3, 2020 the Russian Government has approved and published a list of business sectors being mostly affected by the spread of COVID-19.
The list includes nine sectors:
- air transportation, airport operations, road transportation;
- culture, leisure and entertainment;
- fitness, health recreation and sports;
- tourist agencies and other tourism-related businesses;
- hospitality;
- public catering;
- extended education and non-state educational institutions;
- organization of conferences and expositions;
- personal services (repair & maintenance, laundry, cleaning, hair & beauty salons).
These sectors are expected to receive the priority assistance from the state. The support measures include the following:
- a deferral of all the tax payments (except VAT) for six months;
- a six-month deferral of the social contribution payments to the Social Funds for micro-businesses;
- a six-month bank loans prolongation for small and medium enterprises;
- additional measures aimed to support provision of bank loans for the real sector, including subsidies and state guarantees;
- a six-month moratorium on creditor applications for bankruptcy of companies and collection of debts;
- a deferral on payments for commercial lease of Federal property granted for small and medium enterprises;
- ensuring provision of bank loans for small and medium enterprises at the reduced rates up to 8,5%;
- a moratorium on different type of controls and planned inspections.
