The authorities have decided exactly how to implement the mechanism of the so-called technological collection, which was discussed by the leadership of the Ministry of Industry and Trade in July to protect the domestic industry.
As two sources close to the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Ministry of Finance told Vedomosti, the relevant amendments to the law on industrial policy were developed by the Ministry of Industry and Trade, and the Ministry of Finance submitted it to the government on November 6.
According to a Vedomosti source familiar with the document, importers of the relevant products and domestic producers will be the payers of the new fee, regardless of the degree of localization. The latter, the source emphasizes, will be able to receive industry support measures, for which it is necessary, among other things, to meet localization criteria.
The technological fee will be extended only to those product categories where the share of domestic producers is low, Vedomosti's interlocutors assure. The government will approve the list of products covered by the technological fee in stages, and the list will gradually expand over the next few years. But at the first stage, the interlocutors say, the collection will affect only finished products.
The technological fee rate will be determined for each unit of production separately and will depend, among other things, on its cost. According to Vedomosti's sources, the maximum fixed rate for the most expensive unit of production will not exceed 5,000 rubles. "The average rate was formed in such a way as not to put a significant burden on manufacturers and importers of products," said one of the interlocutors.
If the law is passed, the new rule will take effect on September 1, 2026. "This will allow the business to prepare," the second source notes.
The Ministry of Industry and Trade will be the administrator of the technological collection (including in terms of creating the necessary regulatory framework). Also, one of the interlocutors told Vedomosti, the government will have to determine the collection operator. He should have experience in interacting with government systems, the necessary technological equipment, etc. At the same time, as another Vedomosti interlocutor emphasized, the Advanced Technology Development Center, which deals with product labeling in Russia, will not be the operator.
The funds from the technological collection will be used to finance measures in the field of radio and microelectronics development, the interlocutors of Vedomosti emphasized. They did not mention the total amount planned to be collected.
The introduction of an industrial levy in certain particularly important sectors was announced on July 2 during the government hour in the Federation Council by Minister of Industry and Trade Anton Alikhanov (quoted by Kommersant). He said that the funds raised are planned to be directed to special funds that will be aimed at supporting the same industries. Among the industries that could be affected by the new levy, he named, in particular, the radio-electronic industry and microelectronics.
Currently, state financial support for domestic electronics developers is mainly provided in the form of subsidies, which are allocated under government Resolutions No. 109 and No. 1252. The first one, dated February 17, 2016, establishes rules for reimbursing part of the costs of creating a scientific and technical reserve for the development of basic technologies for the production of priority electronic components and electronic equipment. The second one, dated July 24, 2021, establishes the rules for granting subsidies to cover part of the costs of creating an electronic component base and modules.
The duty was waived
The Ministry of Finance proposed to exclude from the draft law on amendments to the Tax Code, which is part of the budget package, the clause on the introduction of duties for entering information on the turnover of goods subject to mandatory labeling into the Honest Sign information system. This was reported by Interfax. Earlier, food industry associations and major retail chains sent a letter to the government (Vedomosti has it) with a request to exclude from the amendments to the Tax Code the provision on the introduction of state duty for entering information about labeled goods into the Honest Sign system. The changes were expected to take effect on January 1, 2026. The authors of the amendments did not specify whether the labeling duty would apply to the entire market or to individual industries. Alcohol, dairy products, medicines, tobacco, shoes, clothing, perfumes, light industry goods and a number of other categories are subject to mandatory labeling in Russia.
Industrial collection is a tool expected by the market, which, as part of other systemic support measures of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, will facilitate the launch of mass production of high–tech, competitive products, Alexander Ponkin, director of the Yadro Strategic Programs division, told Vedomosti through a representative. According to him, this will lead to positive changes in the domestic investment climate in the domestic electronics industry.
In the context of sanctions pressure and instability of supplies of critical products from abroad, it is necessary to build an import-independent system for the production of components in the field of radio electronics, Tatiana Basova, a researcher at the Center for Economic and Legal Expertise at the Faculty of Economics of Lomonosov Moscow State University, told Vedomosti. These components are found not only in smartphones and personal computers, but also in such important segments as medical equipment, security systems, household appliances, cellular communication systems, etc., she added.
The risks of reducing the range of goods due to the appearance of new products are minimal, since the fee will be introduced in highly competitive markets where participants have the opportunity to maintain attractive prices for goods, says Fedor Boyarkov, Vice President of GS Group: "The most sought-after product items due to high competition between brands and a wide "foreign" representation will remain popular among the population".
