Russia’s President Dmitry Medvedev has submitted a draft law to State Duma on the state guarantees to non-commercial organizations participating in liquidation of social problems. The preparation of the abovementioned draft was mentioned by D.Medvedev in his address to Russia’s Federal Assembly. The draft law is aimed at guaranteeing financial, information and consultative support for the socially-oriented non-commercial organizations. It stipulates also for tax allowances and state orders to these organizations. The draft law applies to the organizations involved in charity, environmental activities, social assistance to the groups of poor citizens, provision of legal assistance, granting support for education, culture and science, as well as providing aid to the ill, invalid and aged persons, children rehabilitation and sports. Taxes will not be collected from grants to health programmes, physical activities and mass sports development. Some experts have already expressed regret that the draft law does not apply to the agencies combating corruption.

NewsRu, November 25

http://www.newsru.com/russia/25nov2009/nko.html

The submitting of the draft law is one of the initial activities within the Dmitry Medvedev Administration’s new political strategy thereby supporting the words with deeds. This initiative should be considered in the context of economic crisis and increase in social tension in Russia, where the state institutions become unable to resolve social problems, and the draft law is to stimulate NGOs to play a more active role in the urgent issues resolving. The draft law is to make functioning of these organizations easier, mainly reducing their tax burden allowing allocation of more funds to expansion of the organizations’ activities.

One should agree to Russian experts expressing regret that the list of organizations to be granted allowances is too short, not including the anti-corruption agencies, human rights organizations or the other organizations involved in promotion of the public political activity. However, also these guarantees are welcome, for they may provide assistance in the social sphere and stimulate development of public organizations, some of which may start their activities in the social sphere, and later on enter also the other fields.