Major changes in Russian Legislation for business in 2020
Updated: Aug 19, 2020
Russia Is Switching to Electronic Labor Books
From January 1, 2020, any employee can write an application for the conversion of their labor book into electronic form or for preserving the document on paper.
Employees who choose electronic labor books will receive their paper labor books in hand. It is not necessary to transfer all old information from paper to electronic format.
If the employee does not decide, the employer will continue to fill out a paper copy of their labor book.
Also, starting next year, employers are required each month to send a new report on HR-related matters (hiring, transfer, dismissal) to the Pension Fund. Therefore, even if an employee chooses the paper version, all the data will be duplicated in the electronic version of the labor book.
For new employees who will start working for the first time after January 1, 2021, the labor book will be issued only in electronic form.
What organizations need to do:
Make changes to local regulations and collective bargaining agreements, if necessary.
By June 30, 2020, inform each employee in writing of their right to keep a paper version of the labor book or switch to the electronic version.
Prepare technically.
There will be more self-employed workers
From January 1, 2020, the self-employed tax (professional income tax) will be available in 19 more regions:
Saint Petersburg
Leningrad region
Voronezh region
Volgograd region
Nizhny Novgorod region
Novosibirsk region
Omsk region
Rostov region
Samara region
Sakhalin region
Sverdlovsk region
Tyumen region
Chelyabinsk region
Krasnoyarsk territory
Perm region
Nenets Autonomous Okrug
Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug
Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrug
Republic of Bashkortostan
If the experiment goes well, then beginning July 1, 2020, any resident of Russia will be able to become self-employed.
The list of goods subject to mandatory marking will be expanded
In 2019, certain goods must be marked. They include:
tobacco products
shoes
some drugs
some goods of consumer goods industry (knitted blouses, coats and short coats, raincoats and jackets, etc.)
tires and treads
perfumes and scented water
cameras and flash units
From January 1, 2020, marking will affect all drugs. The transition period for the introduction of mandatory drug marking will last until July 1, 2020.
By 2024, virtually all consumer products must be marked.
Personal income tax rate for non-residents will be decreased
By March 12, 2020, a bill should be ready to reduce the personal income tax rate for non-residents to 13% instead of 30. The criterion will also change: residents will be considered those who have been in Russia for 90 days, instead of 183, as now.
Reference : https://www.awaragroup.com/blog/new-russian-laws-2020/