Shadow economy in Russia shrinks to 15%, statistics show
Interfax - 4.25.12 - JRL 2012-76
MOSCOW. April 25 (Interfax) - Russia's shadow economy is gradually shrinking and is now estimated at about 15%, the deputy head of the Federal Statistics Service (Rosstat), Irina Masakova said on Tuesday.
file photo"We estimate the size of the shadow economy at about 15%. The share of the shadow economy was 16% in 2009 and 15.5% in 2010," Masakova said at a press conference at Interfax headquarters on the completion of the first phase of an input-output sample survey.
She said tabulation of input-output data would make it possible to more precisely define the size of the shadow economy.
"The first estimates of the size of the shadow economy were made at the stage of the development of input-output tables for 1995. At that time they amounted to 22-23%. Based on this we understood that the shadow economy is big and we began to develop a method on the basis of which we regularly calculated the amount of production by type of economic activity," Masakova said.
She said input-output tables are commonly used in statistics to analyse and inventory statistical information. "When you analyse the whole, naturally you need to find the reasons for discrepancies," Masakova said.
She said the tables will make it possible to more effectively enforce the law on transfer pricing, as it will help to precisely determine the structure of price formation for a given good.
Russia is conducting sample national statistical monitoring of the expenditures of economic entities on production and sales of products in the first half of 2012. The total number of businesses and organizations covered amounted to 411,000. About half of these are large, medium and small enterprises, 27% of individual entrepreneurs, 13% are non-commercial organizations serving households, and 10% are government-funded organizations.
The information collected is needed to compile input-output tables representing aggregate, interrelated indicators that provide a detailed reflection of production and utilization of goods and services by economic entities, inter-sectoral relations and the structural of the economy.
Masakova said the development of the tables will take about three years. The results will be released to the public in 2015. In future, the input-output tables will be compiled every five years.
The main phase of information collection that was completed in April showed that not all respondents provided information to statistics agencies. As of April 20, about 70% of reports on all the forms of the sample monitoring were collected nationwide.
The highest report collection figures were 76% in the Southern Federal District and 75% in the Central District, while in the North Caucasus the figure was only 60%. The leaders in collection of reports for the survey were Tula Region with a collection rate of 98%, Omsk Region with 96% and Saratov Region with 91%. Only 60% of respondents provided reports in Moscow, while in Kaliningrad Region the figure was 31%.
Rosstat will continue to accept reports from latecomers until May 25 without resorting to administrative penalties.
Keywords: Russia, Economy, Business - Russia, Corruption - Russian News - Russia
MOSCOW. April 25 (Interfax) - Russia's shadow economy is gradually shrinking and is now estimated at about 15%, the deputy head of the Federal Statistics Service (Rosstat), Irina Masakova said on Tuesday.
file photo"We estimate the size of the shadow economy at about 15%. The share of the shadow economy was 16% in 2009 and 15.5% in 2010," Masakova said at a press conference at Interfax headquarters on the completion of the first phase of an input-output sample survey.
She said tabulation of input-output data would make it possible to more precisely define the size of the shadow economy.
"The first estimates of the size of the shadow economy were made at the stage of the development of input-output tables for 1995. At that time they amounted to 22-23%. Based on this we understood that the shadow economy is big and we began to develop a method on the basis of which we regularly calculated the amount of production by type of economic activity," Masakova said.
She said input-output tables are commonly used in statistics to analyse and inventory statistical information. "When you analyse the whole, naturally you need to find the reasons for discrepancies," Masakova said.
She said the tables will make it possible to more effectively enforce the law on transfer pricing, as it will help to precisely determine the structure of price formation for a given good.
Russia is conducting sample national statistical monitoring of the expenditures of economic entities on production and sales of products in the first half of 2012. The total number of businesses and organizations covered amounted to 411,000. About half of these are large, medium and small enterprises, 27% of individual entrepreneurs, 13% are non-commercial organizations serving households, and 10% are government-funded organizations.
The information collected is needed to compile input-output tables representing aggregate, interrelated indicators that provide a detailed reflection of production and utilization of goods and services by economic entities, inter-sectoral relations and the structural of the economy.
Masakova said the development of the tables will take about three years. The results will be released to the public in 2015. In future, the input-output tables will be compiled every five years.
The main phase of information collection that was completed in April showed that not all respondents provided information to statistics agencies. As of April 20, about 70% of reports on all the forms of the sample monitoring were collected nationwide.
The highest report collection figures were 76% in the Southern Federal District and 75% in the Central District, while in the North Caucasus the figure was only 60%. The leaders in collection of reports for the survey were Tula Region with a collection rate of 98%, Omsk Region with 96% and Saratov Region with 91%. Only 60% of respondents provided reports in Moscow, while in Kaliningrad Region the figure was 31%.
Rosstat will continue to accept reports from latecomers until May 25 without resorting to administrative penalties.