Financial Journal

p. 8-26

Authors: M.E. Kosov, A.Yu. Chalova, R.G. Akhmadeev, E.V. Golubtsova

The article examines the modern concept of the state fiscal policy in Russia and the possibilities of its implementation through the federal budget in the face of new global challenges. To this end, the authors assessed the resource base of the federal budget of the Russian Federation, as well as the adequacy of measures of fiscal regulation of the current economic situation. In this regard, the authors evaluated the feasibility of the initial macroeconomic indicators underlying the parameters of the federal budget for 2023–2025, primarily its revenues, and the risks of their possible change. The authors associate the key risks of failure to achieve the stated goals of the budget and tax policy for the period 2023–2025 with a sharp reduction in the resource base of the federal budget, especially its oil and gas revenues in the context of worsening geopolitical tensions and increasing sanctions pressure on the Russian Federation. The study focuses on the justification of approaches to minimize the negative consequences of external shocks both for the subjects of the Russian economy and for public finances. In the course of the study, the authors used the methods of statistical data processing, factor modeling, regression analysis and expert evaluation. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the assessment of the impact of new global challenges on the balance of the Russian federal budget and substantiation of approaches to transform fiscal regulation measures in response to these challenges. The practical significance of the study lies in the possibility of using its results in the development of state fiscal policy in the medium term under the conditions of dramatic changes in the scenario conditions of formation of the federal budget.

p. 47-58

Authors: A.V. Maslov, K.V. Shvandar

In 2023, digital ruble is expected to appear in Russia. It is planned to allow for delay-free settlement of transactions with digital financial assets, automation of the use of smart contracts, and tracking of budget calculations. The Ministry of Finance plans to use the Russian digital currency in budget settlements. The first phase of the experiment to use a digital ruble has already involved a number of banks that are testing the opening of digital wallets on the Bank of Russia platform: deposits, transfers between citizens, as well as payments for goods and services. However, the question remains whether the digital ruble in today's environment will help solve the most important task — to facilitate crossborder payments. While the stage of development and testing is underway, it is necessary to pay particular attention to the issues of risk management, system stability, the peculiarities of interaction with other forms of fiat money, and to ensure the use of digital ruble in cross-border settlements. This article discusses test projects which are aimed at studying the functioning of the main channels of digital transactions, identification of problem areas and improvement of modern technologies in the field of cross-border payments. The purpose of this article is not an in-depth analysis of the results of any particular project, but a brief description of a number of projects to illustrate the activities of central banks of different countries in this area. Nor is it intended to compare these projects and draw conclusions about their results. An example of a more thorough study of some projects in order to use existing experience for new projects is the Report of the National Bank of Kazakhstan “Digital Tenge Project” (2021). All these projects are usually initiated by central banks, as well as international organizations and global financial market participants actively involved in international payment relations. The study of the results achieved during the testing of the projects give us an understanding of how settlements in CBDCs, including cross-border ones, may develop in the near future.

p. 74-89

Authors: S.I. Chuzhmarova, A.I. Chuzhmarov

The relevance of the research topic is due to the need to solve the problems of fiscal support for investment in the context of increasing environmental and climate risks that push countries to form the fiscal policy under the influence of the climate agenda, capable of ensuring the financial interests of governments and investors. The main objective of the article is to characterize the processes of transformation of national fiscal policy under the influence of the global climate agenda and tax incentives for investments in green technologies. The authors analyze the sources of investment financing mobilized by developed countries, the main of which are carbon taxes and energy taxes. Changes in the tax policy of the Russian Federation aimed at stimulating the best available technologies and R&D are exposed. The following conclusions are made. Developed countries are actively implementing fiscal measures to support investment in green technologies; the topic of tax transformation has moved from a discussion format to the plane of practical application, although not always successful. Today countries introduce new incentives, use preferential environmental taxation of innovative activities of the energy-intensive sector and voluntary tax agreements of authorities with investment companies, form ratings based on unified comparable indicators. The Russian Federation lags behind developed countries in mobilizing financial resources for green economic growth and in the development of fiscal tools that have proven effective. The problem today is tax regulation of technological development, which covers investment incentives and disincentives to environmental pollution. The next promising action could be the formation of a financial basis for green economic growth, investment in green technology.

p. 103-115

Authors: Yu.A. Spletukhov

The article discusses issues related to the implementation of environmental insurance. Its purpose is to consider a number of problems, the solution of which can contribute to increasing its role in the compensation of losses caused by environmental pollution. To this end, it is proposed to expand the circle of legal entities obliged to provide financial guarantees of compensation for such losses and to use environmental insurance as one of the mechanisms of such guarantees. The effectiveness of guarantees provided by concluding insurance contracts can be ensured by regulating its conditions in a separate regulatory act. In turn, the preparation of the latter requires consideration of some aspects related to the mechanism of conducting environmental insurance. The article, in particular, characterizes the types of environmental pollution and, on this basis, draws conclusions about the possibility, expediency and specificity of insurance in relation to each of them. The insured event in environmental insurance contracts, according to the author, should be the consequences of accidental, sudden and unintentional pollution, i.e., those caused by an accident, disaster or other emergency events of man-made or natural nature. Another problem considered in the article is related to the range of losses that should be included in the scope of insurers’ liability under the insurance contracts concluded in order to provide financial guarantees of compensation for damage caused by environmental pollution. According to the author it should include losses caused by the insured to other legal entities and individuals in the form of damage to natural objects and associated with the implementation of measures aimed at reducing the damage caused by the insured event. A significant place in the article is given to the peculiarities of assessment of damage to be compensated by insurance companies. First of all, it concerns how to calculate the losses caused by damage directly to the natural environment. The results obtained in this part of the article include, in particular, the conclusion that when choosing a method of assessment of such damage one should mainly take into account the amount of costs for environmental restoration.