Transparency International wrote a letter to the tax service inquiring as to why the income and asset declarations of State Duma deputies published in May differed from those of the same deputies filed in November with the Central Elections Commission. The divergence of income for 16 deputies was more than 1 million rubles ($33,000), the anticorruption watchdog said in a press release.
The difference can be explained by the fact that the two bodies—the Federal Tax Service and the Central Elections Commission—possess different rules for what needs to be declared, the tax service said in a response to Transparency International posted online. For example, in some cases income from transactions with stocks should be declared as the actual earnings, while in others it should be stated as net profit, the tax service said in its letter.
The lack of a unified system for declaring income makes the system of verifying such declarations ineffective, said Ivan Ninenko, deputy director of the Russia office of Transparency International.
"The answer from the Federal Tax Service confirms that the system of declaring income and assets in Russia does not actually work. There are only framework laws that do not make it possible to de facto monitor public officials," Ninenko said a press release.
"It ends up that the laws do not prevent officials from filling out declarations as they see fit, and monitoring bodies to verify them as they see fit," Ninenko said.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
