SIMFEROPOL, March 31. /ITAR-TASS/. Projects on the formation of a gambling zone in Crimea will be submitted to the Russian government by April 15, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak told journalists on Monday.

“If it works for the development of Crimea, it will be a zone in a non-populated area,” Kozak said. “This option is being looked at. The deadline is April 15.”

According to Kozak, proposals on the formation of a special economic zone in Crimea would be ready also by April 15. Thus, in his words, such proposals included tax and customs privileges for companies active in the peninsula. “These include tax, and, probably, customs privileges. I do not know which exactly - we have not yet scrutinized this issue. The deadline for submitting proposals on that subject is April 15,” he added.

Earlier, Russian Minister of Economic Development Alexei Ulyukayev said that the special economic zone in Crimea may be formed on the basis of the principles that were used to form such a zone in Russia’s westernmost Kaliningrad region. 

“We have a base - a special economic zone in Kaliningrad, with certain nuances,” he said. “We want to minimize federal taxes, to reduce them practically to zero. But here we have a conflict of laws, so there should be an exemption.”