March 27, 2008. XIV Session of the Tomsk Oblast State Duma

There were 39 items on the Session agenda.

Boris Maltsev, Speaker of the Tomsk Oblast State Duma addressed the deputies with a traditional speech outlining the major events of the month - the presidential elections, presentation of Tomsk Oblast in the Japanese Embassy in Moscow, Tomsk Oblast delegation visit to Kazakhstan, start of the Russian Football Championship-2008. The major part of the address was devoted to the merger of regions.

To comply with the current federal legislation the Duma adopted amendments to the Law On the Principal Guarantees of Child Rights in Tomsk Oblast that directly concerned the nourishment of women and children. It was followed by the adoption of amendments to the Oblast target program ‘Children of Tomsk Oblast for 2007-2010’ that concerned the specification of the program executors. These amendments are aimed to introduce proper order in provision of pregnant women, nursing mothers, as well as children under three years of age with adequate nourishment which is prescribed by doctors.

Unanimously and without extra discussion the deputies passed in the second reading the Oblast Law On the Particularly Productive Arable Land of Tomsk Oblast. The Law defines particularly valuable productive arable lands which are banned to be used otherwise.

The deputies approved in the first reading amendments to the Oblast target program for social development of rural area till 2010. The urgency to adopt amendments is explained by the contradictions in the current legal and regulatory texts. The introduced changes establish an order of acknowledgement of citizens as in need for allocation of accommodation. Under the program 384 specialists were given accommodation in 2007, though the procedure of submitting the required papers was complex. After the adoption of amendments, the procedure becomes simpler. This will help retain and attract young specialists to the rural area.

The Duma increased the age limit for the participants of the Oblast target program Provision of Young Families with the State Support when Purchasing (Building) of Accommodation in Tomsk Oblast for 2006-2010 from 30 to 35 years. And the amount of subsidies given to young families in the framework of the Oblast target program will yearly be approved in Moscow in accordance with the budget security of every specific region. The deputies introduced appropriate amendments to the program. Under the program 182 young families improved their housing conditions in 2007. It is envisaged that not less than 163 young families will enjoy the state support in purchasing or building of a private house in 2008. To satisfy this need 47.8m rubles were allocated from the Oblast budget for 2008. Approximately the same sum will be allocated from the federal budget.

The deputies made a decision to increase the wage fund for the Oblast budgetary employees by 14%. In the discussion of the amendments to the Oblast Budget Law the key question was what sources should be involved to ensure the 14% increase scheduled for February 1, 2008 possible. Oksana Kozlovskaya, Tomsk Oblast First Deputy Governor, assured the deputies that already next weak all the municipal entities will receive their money for February and March and pay wages to their employees.
Given the amendments made to the Oblast budget, its revenues will total 26 395 122.3 thousand rubles, expenses - 29 327 656.4 thousand rubles, the Oblast budget deficit - 2 932 534.1 thousand rubles or 15.4 % to the revenues of the Oblast budget with no account taken of financial aid from the federal budget. And at the same time, the amount of expenses providing the investment and innovation activity in 2008 will make up 4 213 471.3 thousand rubles.

The Duma deputies approved amendments to the Tomsk Oblast Law On Administrative Responsibility for the Budgetary Legislation Violation…. The Tomsk Oblast Prosecutor’s Office took an active part in preparation of the draft law under correction.

The deputies adopted an address to the President of the RF with an appeal to refer the social support for the citizens repressed by the state and subsequently exonerated, to the items of expenditures of the RF. At present the authorities of providing the exonerated with social support measures refer to the RF constituents; i.e. the scope of support provided to this category of citizens depends on the financial performance of a region.
Last year in December, the deputies sent such an appeal to Viktor Zubkov, Prime Minister of the RF, as well as to Boris Gryzlov, Speaker of the State Duma. All in all 21 constituents of Russia supported Tomsk in its initiative, as opposed to Moscow. The Ministry of Health and Social Development of the RF did not give a distinct answer to the question and only provided the regions with recommendations how to take independent measures to preserve and possibly raise the level of social security of the exonerated.
Nearly 20 thousand exonerated citizens and persons acknowledged as victims of political repressions live in Tomsk Oblast.

In ‘A Governor’s Hour’ Boris Mozgolin, Tomsk Oblast Deputy Governor and Head of the Economy Department addressed the deputies with the report On the Tools of Stimulating the Tomsk Oblast Municipal Entities to Increase the Tax Base.
To stimulate the municipal entities the Oblast Administration increased the share of taxes left in municipalities. For instance, for transport tax and income tax (Natural-Person Income Tax) - up to 55 %. It has already produced certain results: 1.4 billion rubles collected in municipalities include 1.2 billion rubles of the income tax. The municipal entities took immediate interest in the wages rise in their territory. Though, at the same time such revenues do not cover the demands of municipal entities. The second means of revenues increase is to introduce proper order in the real estate sector as well as the Land Tax. However, it won’t change the situation dramatically, as it is only possible to gain extra 100m rubles, which is obviously insufficient to fulfill commitments of municipal entities.
Moreover, there is a Fund for Stimulating Municipal Entities. A municipal entity, which pursues increasing of the Tax Base, receives as a bonus 6m rubles.
The deputies voiced their suggestions for stimulating municipal entities to increase their tax base. The Head of the Economy Department assured the deputies that the Oblast Administration would surely take those suggestions into account.

Boris Maltsev, Speaker of the Tomsk Oblast State Duma held a traditional press conference during the break between the two sessions.
The Speaker noted that most questions of the session agenda refer to the social sphere - improvement of life standards for the citizens, including the current budget changes:
‘The reason for these changes lies in the necessity to cover the 14% increase in the wage fund of the Oblast state and municipal organizations in the expenditures item. With an approval of the budget (both federal and regional) 7% were envisaged from September 1. However, the President Vladimir Putin, due to the prices increase, extended and initiative: to ensure a 14% increase starting not from September but from February. In other words, the wage fund of the budgetary employees is due to rise virtually by 20%.
In answering the questions the Duma Speaker expressed his own viewpoint about the efficiency of the Control Chamber work and change of the Oblast Prosecutor in the region as well.
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The Legislative Duma of Tomsk Oblast

March 27, 2008. XIV Session of the Tomsk Oblast State Duma