Financial Journal

p. 27-42

Authors: Pavel E. Zhukov

The article considers the problems of capital flight from Russia in current conditions and the related problems of financing budget expenditures. The difference between capital export and capital flight, which occurs in conditions of extremely high risks or unfavorable investment climate, is substantiated. The balance of payments of Russia in 2022 is analyzed, and it is substantiated that in the current situation capital flows are largely capital flight from political and economic risks. The author estimates the size of capital flight from Russia in 2022 (approximately $232 billion), and concludes that the mandatory sale of foreign exchange earnings in modern conditions can be replaced by more flexible control measures. Further, the paper analyzes a set of complex problems of financing the federal budget expenditures of Russia in the current conditions. Three possible mechanisms of financing the budget deficit (or additional expenditures) are considered: at the expense of new public debt, at the expense of the National Welfare Fund and sale of state assets, as well as at the expense of new emergency taxes. It is concluded that attraction of new sources for government borrowing is practically impossible without a significant increase in interest expenditures. At the end of the paper, for the recovery of the Russian economy, there is a proposal to introduce a new flexible tax on the export of capital, which can create incentives for investment in the Russian economy and solve the problems of financing federal budget expenditures in modern conditions.

p. 61-75

Authors: Alexander A. Tsyganov, Irina A. Bystronovskaya

Agricultural risks, given climate change and the crisis of globalization, are increasingly considered as national security risks. In global practice, insurance has proven to be one of the most successful and sustainable ways to manage agricultural risks. In the Russian Federation, agricultural insurance is also state-supported, which emphasizes the importance of containment of agricultural sector hazards. However, the level of insurance penetration in Russian agriculture is insufficient. Indices in agricultural insurance, i.e. insurance in which insurance payments are made not on the basis of the assessment of damage to the insurance object, but on the basis of the behavior of a special index, are used in many countries around the world. The main idea of index insurance is that there is no need to establish the fact and calculate the amount of loss, which makes it especially demanded for those activities in the real sector of the economy where speed, transparency and simplicity of insurance payments are important, as well as the need to attract additional well-trained employees to carry out the insurance process and claims settlement. Reduced workload due to the absence of the need to calculate the amount of loss reduces the time required to process claims. The procedures of claim settlement in index insurance can be called the most simplified for the client and the least costly for the insurance company, but the advantages and positive features of index insurance do not end there. The authors have investigated and systematized the possibilities of index insurance, for which they also considered the successful experience of a country with similar socio-cultural codes, Mexico, in the field of agricultural index insurance. The article also suggests ways to overcome the difficulties of index insurance implementation in the Russian insurance realities. The positive features of the index insurance identified by the authors can make it a promising alternative to classical (traditional) insurance, including for the further development of agricultural insurance with state support.

p. 93-109

Authors: Elena I. Brichka, Yuliya S. Evlakhova

The article examines the problems of digital inequality in the financial sphere at three levels. The purpose of the study is to characterize and assess (quantitatively or qualitatively) the digital inequality of the Russian population in the financial sphere (at each of the three levels). The achievement of the research goal is ensured by using the index method, methods of graphical analysis, as well as comparative analysis of empirical data. The result of the work is the developed index of the first-level digital inequality in the financial sphere, which allows to give an aggregate assessment. The calculated values of the index confirm the conclusions about the steady decline in the Russian economy of the first-level digital inequality in the financial sphere. As for the second-level digital inequality, the following results were obtained: In 2021, a significant part of the Russian population possessed such basic skills as sending files via e-mail and messengers, working with a text editor and copying or moving files; the share of the population possessing advanced skills increased, while the availability of basic and standard digital skills remained virtually unchanged; the level of digital literacy does not affect the population’s activity in ordering financial services online. A list of digital financial skills has been formulated, which can be assessed in further analysis of the second-level digital inequality. The theoretical description of the third-level digital inequality led us to conclude that to better understand this level, an expanded analysis is required, as well as progress in overcoming the digital gaps of the first and second levels.

p. 123-135

Authors: Vladimir V. Olkhovik, Roman S. Afanasev, Edvardas Juchnevicius, Tatyana N. Malofeeva

The issue of stimulating domestic production is multifaceted and has a long history of study. At present, it is particularly relevant due to the introduction of restrictive measures, including the termination of supplies of a number of foreign goods to the Russian Federation. As one of the possible measures to increase the production of goods by Russian companies and entrepreneurs, the authors consider a new incentive mechanism of redistribution of value added tax (VAT) received by the federal budget, which implies the direction of the amounts of social grants taking into account the economic activity of the region associated with the production of value added on its territory. The purpose of the article is to justify a new methodology that includes a financial mechanism for redistributing the amounts of VAT in the form of grants to producers, aimed at creating effective budgetary incentives for regions to organize their own production of goods. For this purpose, the experience of VAT distribution in two BRICS countries — Brazil and China — is considered. In addition, the article summarizes effective measures of Germany, France, Greece, Austria and Norway to optimize calculation and payment of VAT, which resulted in economic growth. Discussion. One notable approach proposed by the authors to create a new incentive mechanism for redistribution of VAT revenues to the federal budget. This mechanism involves the allocation of social grants depending on the economic activity of the regions, particularly related to the production of valueadded goods on their territory. This approach represents a departure from traditional fiscal policies aimed at aligning incentives with local production. Results. This research represents a significant contribution to the ongoing debate on stimulating domestic production. By advocating a new mechanism of VAT redistribution and drawing on international experiences, the study seeks to address the challenges posed by restrictive measures and promote economic growth in the Russian Federation.