MOSCOW, October 30. /TASS/. The Russian government has no plans to change business taxation rules, despite existing economic difficulties, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said on Thursday.

“Despite the tense situation on external markets and the very tight budget, we really have no plans to change the principles of business taxation,” Medvedev said at the forum sponsored by the Opora Rossiii business association, which discussed small business development in Russia.

The Russian government has decided against increasing the value added tax and introducing the sales tax, the premier said.

The Russian government has also left the individuals’ 13% flat income tax unchanged, Medvedev said.

Russia’s import substitution in conditions of sanctions

While pursuing a policy of import substitution in connection with Western sanctions and Moscow’s countersanctions, Russia should not confine itself to substitution of goods imports but should also focus on replacement of foreign developments, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev also said.

“It is wrong to confine ourselves solely to goods import substitution. Now, in conditions of sanctions, when access to technology is difficult, we need to replace foreign developments with domestic developments promptly too,” Medvedev said at the Opora Rossii business forum.

Situation with entrepreneurship and business in Russia

Entrepreneurs in Russia should not live and work in an atmosphere of fear and the principle of inadmissibility “of nightmarizing” businesses is relevant to this day, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said.

“Entrepreneurs definitely should not live in an atmosphere of fear. Conscientious entrepreneurs should be protected by law and they should be maximally supported and encouraged,” Medvedev said.

He recalled as he said several years ago that the state should not take any actions that would be detrimental to businesses. “Any attempts to ‘nightmarize’ businesses are inadmissible. This message, unfortunately, is relevant to this day,” the prime minister said.

According to him, Russian businesses are facing corruption problems. “Sometimes this corruption is provoked by the businesses, to tell the truth, and by the imperfect law enforcement judicial practice, by bureaucratic hurdles and disregard of the business laws,” he said.

Medvedev said it is very important to encourage enterprise in young people, graduates of universities who are ready to take risks.

“Today we are faced with a situation in which the business initiative is declining, compared with the state of affairs 15 years ago,” Medvedev said. According to him, this situation should be overcome, “as running a business is regarded throughout the world as the best talent application tool.”

Medvedev said access to markets, in particular, access to the public procurement market, is one of difficulties small businesses have to face. He said that by the end of 2014 the share of small businesses in the total public procurement volume should reach at least 15%.

He said, citing September data that small enterprises concluded contracts worth 3 trillion roubles within the public procurement framework accounting for 22% of the total sum of all such contracts. “Certainly, it is necessary to ascertain the contracts and companies to rule out deceit, but the figure is impressive,” said the prime minister.