The beginning of the 10s of the 21st century was marked by a sharp increase in supporters of the theory of a “Russian superpower” and the “special” role of the Russian state in the world. But the situation in the world changed seriously after the fall in energy prices in 2014, which greatly reduced the ranks of adherents of “getting up from your knees.”

In fact, everything is quite simple: Russia, since the early 2000s, has lived on money from the sale of petrocarbons, which have grown significantly against the backdrop of a growing global economy. No real competitive economy that could offer the world quality products was created in the Russian Federation during the years of “oil abundance,” and most of the proceeds from the sale of oil and gas were simply stolen and remained in the pockets of officials.

But let's turn to the language of numbers to determine whether Russia is as powerful and rich as some Russian politicians claim by comparing the size of the government budgets of Russia and other countries in the world for 2016.

State budgets of the leading countries of the world for 2016

	Countries	Million US dollars
1	USA	3 251 000
2	China	2 426 000
3	Germany	1 515 000
4	Japan	1 439 000
5	France	1 253 000
6	Great Britain	1 101 000
7	Italy	876 000
8	Canada	585 000
9	Spain	473 600
10	Australia	425 700
11	Netherlands	336 500
12	The Republic of Korea	291 300
13	Mexico	259 600
14	Sweden	250 800
15	India	236 000
16	Belgium	226 800
17	Switzerland	221 900
18	Norway	230 300
19	Russia	216 000
30	Venezuela	203 400

As can be seen from the table above, the size of the Russian budget is not even included in the top 15 budgets of countries in the world; its value is less than that of Belgium and Sweden (!), 7 times less than that of Germany, 12 times less than that of China and 16 times less than the USA. By the way, the expenses of the United States exceed the Russian federal budget by 3 times.

Federal budget of Russia for 2017: end of story

Neither the government nor the State Duma were surprised by the new Federal Budget for 2017: this is a budget for eating up and continuing the agony of the socio-economic model approved in the early 2000s. Despite the decline in the standard of living of the population in the past year, the trend to strengthen power at the expense of the law enforcement agencies, for which no money is saved in the country’s budget, continued. Thus, the new budget includes about 4.7 trillion for military expenditures and law enforcement agencies. rubles, which exceeds the total expenditures on healthcare, education and culture by more than 4 times. The country’s budget is calculated based on the average annual price of Urals oil of 40 per barrel, which is an optimistic scenario, given global trends, as well as the arrival in the United States of the Republican Party led by Donald Trump, who promise to open access to the world market for American oil.

• BALANCED BUDGET
• FEDERAL BUDGET
• FEDERAL BUDGET REVENUE
• FEDERAL BUDGET EXPENSES

The task of ensuring budget balance is the most important for the state when implementing economic policy. This article is subject to review and analysis of federal budget revenues and expenses for the period 2013-2017.

• The role of Federal taxes in the tax system of the Russian Federation
• Using public-private partnership mechanisms to develop public infrastructure
• Ways to strengthen the revenue side of the Federal budget of the Russian Federation

The balance of federal budget revenues and expenditures has a significant impact on the stability of the country as a whole. At the same time, the question of the relationship between the revenue and expenditure parts of the budget is especially relevant today. Considering the dynamics of the budget system of the Russian Federation for 2016, one can notice a gradual decrease in the share of federal budget revenues in relation to GDP - from 20.9% in 2013 to 17.5% in 2016, as well as a reduction in the total volume of federal budget expenditures to 20 .5% relative to GDP.

Table 1. Main indicators of the federal budget for 2013-2017, billion rubles.

According to the bill on the federal budget for 2017, budget revenues amounted to 14,720.3 billion rubles, and in 2016 - 13,738.5 billion rubles, i.e. a clearly expressed excess of revenues. Is it good or bad?

According to the Ministry of Finance, this jump in budget revenues in the entire history is considered the maximum point, however, this growth can be justified by the level of inflation and the weak ruble included in the budget. It should also be noted that oil is a revenue source for the budget, because according to the forecast for the next 2 years, the rate per barrel will be about $40.

Increasing revenues leads, first of all, to budget imbalance, so the only way to strengthen the budget is to reduce federal spending. To improve this situation, the Ministry of Finance proposes to change the composition of the use of sovereign funds and use borrowed funds more (about 1005 billion rubles), which is almost twice as much as borrowing in 2016.

It is planned to use 1150 billion rubles to finance the budget deficit. from the Reserve Fund, as a result of which these funds will be spent. In this situation, it is necessary to use the National Wealth Fund, from which the Ministry of Finance wants to spend 660 billion rubles. during 2017 to cover the deficit. Replenishment of sovereign funds is not planned until 2020.

Let's consider the structure of federal budget revenues for 2013-2017.

Table 2. Federal budget revenues for 2013-2017, billion rubles.

Indicators/Years						2017 as a percentage of 2013
Oil and gas revenues
Income tax
Customs duties
Dividends on shares owned by the Russian Federation
Other income

According to the table, you can see that during the period under review there was an increase in income. Let's consider federal budget revenues from the point of view of tax and non-tax revenues. For quite a long period of time, tax revenues have accounted for the majority of all federal budget revenues. So, for the period 2013-2017. their volume is more than 50%, while this share increased significantly over the period of time under review by 10.6 percentage points. This fact indicates that the state, solving its socio-economic problems, decided to replenish the financial base from tax revenues, including mineral extraction tax, income tax, excise taxes, VAT, etc. Non-tax revenues also play a significant role in the formation of the federal budget, despite the fact that for 2013–2017. their share decreased by almost 11.5%. This decrease can be explained by a reduction in income from foreign trade activities. This trend is not accidental, given Russia’s relatively restrained policy on the world market, since at the moment the state is striving to develop the domestic market.

Let us consider the structure of federal budget expenditures for the period under study.

Table 3. Federal budget expenditures 2013-2017, billion rubles.

Analyzing the table, you can see that in 2017 income was higher than in previous years, i.e. a growth trend in budget expenditures is visible. This fact can be justified by the fact that in the context of functional areas of budget expenditures, the most is planned to be spent on social policy - 5080 billion rubles. For the “National Economy” section, allocations amount to almost 2,300 billion rubles. “National Defense” will require about 2,840 billion rubles in the open part of the budget. This is 27% less than what was allocated for national defense in 2016. Despite a slight increase in the total share of expenditures on the social block, the 2017 budget cannot be called “social” from the point of view of concern for the development of the social sphere. The main changes in pensions boiled down to a reduction in the scale of planned indexation and another freeze of the funded part.

Thus, we can summarize that the budget imbalance still exists, and according to the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation, by 2020 the deficit should decrease to 1.2%. Regarding the population, the state needs to improve policies in the field of health and education and pay more attention to the social aspects of the development of the state.

Bibliography

1. State and municipal management: Textbook/Ed. N.I. Zakharova [Text]. – M.: INFRA – M, 2015. – 278 p.
2. Romanovsky M.V., Vrublevskaya O.V. Budget system of the Russian Federation: Textbook for university students studying economics. 4th ed., St. Petersburg: Peter, 2015. - 576 p.
3. Siraeva R.R. Control over budget execution as an integral part of the budget process / R.R. Siraeva, G.F. Garifullina // Socio-economic development of modern society in the conditions of modernization: materials of the International scientific and practical conference. – Saratov, 2016. - pp. 158-159.
4. Official website of the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation /Monthly information on the execution of the federal budget (data from January 1, 2011) [Electronic resource]: http://minfin.ru/ru/

The tense global political situation forces citizens to think about the future. Russia is going through hard times. The economy, one might say, is being reborn anew, and this entails inevitable costs in the form of a federal budget deficit. People feel unstable, and therefore are already asking the question: what Russian budget for 2017 in numbers?

When preparing a budget, important factors are taken into account. This is the oil and gas component, the general world situation. Laying down articles for the next three-year period, the authorities also paid attention to the existing sanctions of foreign countries against our country and Russia’s response to them.

The law that determined the budget for 2016 was an innovation, because traditionally the budget is determined for the next year and planned for another 2 years. But due to the lack of clear forecasts and constant changes (not always for the better), the government did not dare to take on the responsibility of forecasting for 3 years ahead.

However, in 2016, the authorities seem to be optimistic, because in the coming weeks there will beand funds have been earmarked for 2018 and 2019. The federal law will come into force on January 1, 2017.

So, according to the draft federal law, state revenues will amount to 13.4 trillion rubles. Expenses, in turn, are 16.2 trillion. What do these numbers say? Yes, the state does not have enough money . Nominally, these are almost 2016 numbers. Of course, inflation also matters; taking it into account, income will decrease compared to the previous year. According to forecasts of the Ministry of Finance, the state is able to reduce expenses and increase the revenue component. The prognosis is quite good: if Russian budget deficit for 2017will be 2.8 billion, then in 2018 - 2 billion, and in 2019 it will be 1.1 billion rubles

The budget for housing and communal services is rapidly declining: in 2017, it is planned to allocate 58 billion rubles to this area, and in 2018 only 28.8 billion rubles.

Budget of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for 2017will amount to almost 1968 billion rubles, which is 12.2% of the share of total expenses. However, this department is facing significant changes, first of all, they relate to staffing. Not only are the requirements for professional qualities becoming more stringent, but the moral and psychological aspects of the personality of an individual employee now play a major role. These criteria were introduced partly as conditions for staff reductions. By October 2017 it may decrease by almost 10%. This means that 100 thousand employees will be left without work. The innovations will have little impact on employees working “on the ground”, directly with the population (precinct officers, for example). The share of their reductions will be no more than 2%. Those who remain in the ranks of the Ministry of Internal Affairs will receive pleasant bonuses - a 5% increase in salary.

Since 2015, Russia has outlined a direct course towards supporting and strengthening national defense.Russia's military budget in 2017will amount to 2840 billion in 2017. This is 6% less than in 2016, taking into account inflation. It is worth noting the existence of so-called closed, secret items in the budget. In the defense sector, 800 billion is planned for such an item. There are opinions that this money will be used for early fulfillment of obligations on loans to defense enterprises in order to save interest.

State Duma deputies in the first reading adopted the draft budget with a deficit of more than 2.75 trillion rubles. 100 people voted against, 334 deputies voted for. The bill will be considered in the second reading in early December.

The State Duma adopted in the first reading the draft law on the federal budget for 2017 and the next two years. According to the document, budget revenues for 2017 are planned at 13.4876 trillion rubles, expenses - at 16.2408 trillion rubles. Thus, the deficit will be about 2.7532 trillion rubles, or more than 3% of GDP. In subsequent years, government revenues are expected to rise, while spending and deficits are expected to fall.

It is planned to cover the deficit in 2017 through the use of funds from the Reserve Fund (in the amount of 1.15 trillion rubles) and the National Welfare Fund (in the amount of 668.2 billion rubles). As a result, the Reserve Fund will be completely exhausted by the end of 2017, and 4.19 trillion rubles will remain in the National Welfare Fund.

The draft budget was drawn up based on the price of Russian Urals oil of $40 per barrel. At the same time, the average dollar to ruble exchange rate in 2017, as planned, will be 67.5 rubles, in 2018 - 68.7 rubles, in 2019 - 71.1 rubles. Inflation in 2017-2019 is expected to be 4%.

Opposition against the “survival budget”

The government itself characterizes the budget for 2017-2019 (after the one-year budget of 2016, the government returned to a three-year budget cycle) as conservative, post-adaptation and mobilization. In particular, in the explanatory note to the draft budget, the government assessed it as a “mobilization” budget (in terms of revenues) and a savings budget (in terms of expenses). The fiscal consolidation package consists of about 70% of “optimizing expenditures and increasing their efficiency,” while measures to mobilize revenues account for about 30%, the government explained. This should allow the budget deficit to be reduced from 3.2% of GDP in 2017 to 1.2% of GDP in 2019.

Such a budget design. For example, the Faculty of Economics of Moscow State University, in its conclusion on the draft budget, recommended building the budget not on a pro-cyclical principle, but on a counter-cyclical one - to stimulate the economy and increase the budget deficit now, when the economy is weak, and to postpone fiscal consolidation until sustainable economic growth resumes. But the Ministry of Finance believes that now exactly such a restrictive budget is needed as the foundation for stable and low inflation, a stable exchange rate, and stable business expectations.

In the first reading, the budget was adopted by the votes of United Russia members alone, who in the new convocation of the Duma have a constitutional majority and can pass any laws without the participation of the opposition. All opposition factions refused to support the document, considering it “a budget for eating, dying and surviving.” The Ministry of Economic Development, whose socio-economic forecast formed the basis of the budget, this time “didn’t even try to please us with anything at least in the long term - stagnation is expected until 2034,” lamented, in particular, the representative of the LDPR faction Sergei Katasonov. The entire crisis burden has been shifted onto the shoulders of the population, the oppositionists noted. With this approach from the authorities, the economic crisis will develop into a political one, predicted the leader of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation Gennady Zyuganov.

Deputies ask for money

The draft law “On the federal budget for 2017 and for the planning period of 2018 and 2019” was submitted to the State Duma by the government on October 28, 2016. The press service of the Cabinet of Ministers noted in a statement that the key characteristics of the budget for the next three years were calculated based on the main indicators of the forecast for the socio-economic development of Russia for 2017-2019. It is expected that the State Duma will consider the bill on the federal budget in the second reading at a meeting on December 7, and in the third reading on December 9.

After the government submitted the draft budget to the Duma, the document has not yet changed - it was only assessed by factions, chamber committees and economic experts from leading Russian institutions invited by the budget committee. Based on the results of studying the project, the budget committee recommended that the government find additional funds to finance health care and education (in particular, provide funds in the budget for the large-scale project of United Russia leader Dmitry Medvedev - the construction and reconstruction of schools; currently there is no money included in the project for this). In addition, the government is expected to provide additional money to support small businesses, industry, single-industry towns, and agriculture. Deputies also recommend sharply increasing budget lending to regions whose debts have long exceeded 2 trillion rubles.

These and other recommendations are based on the priorities identified for the budget by United Russia. Finance Minister Anton Siluanov repeatedly confirmed at a Duma meeting on Friday that the government is ready to find reserves for additional financing of these priorities. The Duma resolution does not say what additional funds priority projects will be able to count on.

Perspective 2018

The parliamentary opposition demands courage and determination from the government: not to cut costs, but to take measures to accelerate the replenishment of the budget by collecting additional money from rich people (by introducing a progressive tax scale), oil and gas companies (by canceling VAT refunds for export transactions) etc. But not accepting the budget is much worse than accepting it; the former will lead to real shocks, Chairman of the Duma Budget Committee Andrei Makarov convinced opponents.

The Ministry of Finance is preparing proposals, including, in particular, the introduction of a progressive tax scale by 2018, Siluanov told deputies. Now it is impossible to introduce progressive taxation: this will only provoke the transfer of income into the shadows, the Ministry of Finance fears. There was a progressive scale in Russia until 2000, but everyone was considered a recipient of the minimum wage and did not pay taxes, recalled Alexander Zhukov, a representative of the United Russia faction. The abolition of VAT refunds for gas and oil workers will simply ruin the industry, making their products uncompetitive: they will have to pay VAT twice - in the countries where they sell their products, and in Russia, the deputy explained.

Both Siluanov and the United Russia Duma members convinced their opponents that the budget guarantees the fulfillment of all the state’s obligations to citizens under any circumstances - and this is the main thing. Reliability and predictability of fiscal policy will create the basis for renewed economic growth, Siluanov hopes.