An increase in tax deductions should support families . Putin proposed doubling it to 2,800 rubles. per month tax deduction for the second child and up to 6,000 rubles. per month - for the third and each subsequent child. The amount of annual income to which this deduction applies will be increased - from 350 thousand to 450 thousand per year.
He announced several more measures to support families - the extension of the maternity capital program until 2030 (according to existing standards, the program is valid until 2026), and the extension of the family mortgage program until the same period . The family mortgage program has been in effect since 2018; according to the plan, it was supposed to end by July 1, 2024.Overall, Russia must achieve sustainable growth in the birth rate over the next six years, Putin said. According to preliminary data from Rosstat , an anti-record was set in 2023 - 1.265 million children were born in the country - this is the lowest figure in the last 23 years.
Putin also announced the introduction of a tax deduction for those who have passed the GTO standards and those who regularly undergo medical examinations. According to Putin, they will be able to receive the deduction from 2025.
Regions' debts will be written off
The President proposed reducing the debt burden of the regions and writing off two-thirds of their debt on budget loans . “This will allow them to save about 200 billion rubles. annually from 2025 to 2028,” Putin explained. He added that the savings should be “colored”: the regions will need to use them to support investments and infrastructure projects.
Putin also recalled that this year the regions will begin to repay debts under the infrastructure budget loan program, which has been in effect since 2021. “I propose to reinvest the funds that are returned to the federal budget into the development of the regions, and use them to issue new infrastructure budget loans,” he added. In general, from 2025 it is proposed to increase the portfolio of such loans to the regions by at least 250 billion rubles. annually.
The President proposed extending for six years the individual socio-economic development programs that are currently being implemented by ten regions with low budgetary resources.
Taxes and business amnesty
Putin instructed the government to work out an amnesty for small companies that used business fragmentation to evade taxes , provided that such companies refuse such artificial fragmentation in the future. He promised that for such companies there will be “no fines, sanctions, and there will be no recalculation of taxes for previous periods.”
Speaking about the current tax regime, Putin proposed considering approaches to modernizing the fiscal system to more equitably distribute the tax burden towards those with higher personal and corporate incomes.
“We need to make taxation fairer. Therefore, we will work together with legislators; there are legislative initiatives on this issue. We will also work with business,” Finance Minister Anton Siluanov told reporters.
During the address, Vladimir Putin announced the launch of five new national projects:
— The national project “Family” is designed to increase the birth rate in the country. As part of the project, at least 75 billion rubles will be allocated to regions where the birth rate is below average until 2030. The family mortgage program will be extended until 2030.
— The goal of the national project “Long and Active Life” is to increase the average life expectancy in Russia by 2030 from the current 73 to 78 years.
— The national project “Youth of Russia” , according to Putin, is “a project about the future, for the future of our country.” During the message, Putin said that within the framework of this national project, support will be provided to teachers and mentors. So the president proposed to introduce a federal payment of 5 thousand rubles per month from September 1, 2024 for all advisers, education directors in schools and colleges, and payments to certain categories of class teachers will also be increased.
— The national project “Personnel” , which Putin also announced, is aimed at strengthening the connection at all levels of education - from school to university.
— The national project “Data Economy” is designed to create digital platforms in all key sectors of the economy and social sphere. At least 700 billion rubles will be allocated for its implementation.
Vladimir Putin delivered his message at Gostiny Dvor in the center of Moscow. His campaign headquarters is also located there.
Delivering a message to the Federal Assembly is the constitutional duty of the head of state (according to Article 84 of the Russian Constitution, he must deliver it annually). In 2023, Putin addressed parliament on February 21, when he announced the suspension of the Strategic Offensive Arms Treaty (START), measures to support participants in the military operation, and called on businessmen to “be with their homeland.” In 2022, the year the special military operation in Ukraine began, Putin did not deliver a message. He explained this by the very large “dynamics of events”, which made it “difficult to record” its results.
New elite instead of “those who lined their pockets in the 90s”
Calling the “true real elite” “workers and warriors” who have proven their devotion to the country through their work, and not those who lined their pockets in the 90s,” the president announced a new personnel program “ Time of Heroes” for veterans and participants in the military operation .
The program will be built according to the same standards as the “school of governors” and the “Leaders of Russia” competition.
Military personnel and veterans with higher education and management experience, regardless of rank and position, will be able to participate in the program. They will be able to submit their application on March 1, and their studies will begin in the coming months. Mentors in the new personnel program will be government leaders, representatives of the presidential administration , federal ministries, heads of regions and major companies. In the future, it is planned to launch management courses at RANEPA for the same categories of citizens.
In addition, veterans and participants in the special operation will be able to receive higher education at leading universities in Russia as a priority, the president said.
Participants in the special operation living in the regions of the Far East and the Arctic can also receive a preferential mortgage with a rate of 2%.
New infrastructure projects
The modernization of housing and communal services will continue in the country , Putin promised . Until 2030, 4.5 trillion rubles will be allocated for these purposes.
The gasification program will be expanded . Thus, gasification of the Kamchatka Territory, Yakutia, Buryatia, Khabarovsk Territory and other regions can be carried out through the use of liquefied natural gas. Putin also proposed including gardening partnerships in the social gasification program and laying networks to the boundaries of the plots.
Over the next six years, the government must continue to update the transport infrastructure.
Over the next six years, the government must continue to update the transport infrastructure. The measures listed by Putin include the modernization of at least 75 airports in Russia, a new resort on Lake Baikal with a zero level of pollution for the lake (this is part of the “Five Seas” project, according to which hotel complexes should appear on the coasts of the Caspian, Baltic, Azov, Black and Japanese seas) , laying the Dzhubga - Sochi route.
The President instructed the government to provide a scheme for financing the route, which will allow the Black Sea coast to actively develop. Putin confirmed plans to build high-speed highways to Kazan and the Urals, Rostov-on-Don, the Black Sea coast, and Minsk. The high-speed railway to St. Petersburg will pass through Tver and Veliky Novgorod, the president said. It is possible to launch train traffic on this high-speed railway within five years, Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin told TASS.
According to the head of state, 116 billion rubles must be allocated for digital modernization. to develop a satellite constellation to increase accessibility to high-speed Internet in remote areas of the country.
Retaking the Unified State Exam and money for education
Recalling that the mechanism of the Unified State Examination (USE) is still controversial in society, Putin proposed giving school graduates a second chance and allowing the student to retake the USE in one of the subjects before the end of the admissions campaign at universities.
He promised that the program for creating university campuses in Russia will be expanded - at least 40 facilities will be built, for which about 400 billion rubles will be allocated.
The president devoted the first part of his message to relations with Western countries and measures taken to protect the country. The president spoke briefly about the special military operation, saying that its goals will be achieved, and that the Russian military “is firmly in control of the initiative and is confidently advancing in a number of operational areas.”
According to Vladimir Putin, “the so-called West with its colonial habits” seeks to restrain the development of Russia, since “instead of Russia they need a dependent, fading, dying space where they can do whatever they want.”
Western countries will not be able to achieve this, he said, including due to new weapons that have already entered service and have been used.
“Strategic nuclear forces are in a state of full combat readiness for guaranteed use,” Putin said. He said that the Kinzhal hypersonic aviation complex, Avangard intercontinental-range hypersonic units, and Peresvet laser systems are on combat duty (and have already been used). Also, the Zircon sea-based hypersonic strike complex has already been used in combat, and Russia soon plans to demonstrate the first serial Sarmat heavy ballistic missiles in the combat duty areas .
What kind of weapons are these?
The Zircon hypersonic missile was developed and produced at the Reutov NPO Mashinostroyenia (part of the Tactical Missile Weapons Corporation ). In his 2019 message, the president said that the missile from the Zircon complex is capable of reaching a speed equal to nine Mach numbers (the speed of sound) and has a range of more than 1 thousand km.
"Dagger" is an aviation missile system capable of hitting stationary and surface targets (aircraft carriers, cruisers, destroyers and frigates).
“Dagger” is a complex with hypersonic aeroballistic missiles. Its speed is ten times higher than the speed of sound, and its range is more than 2 thousand km. The missile is capable of penetrating all air and missile defense systems and has a warhead weight of 500 kg.
In addition to the new weapons already put on duty, tests of the Burevestnik unlimited-range cruise missile and the Poseidon unmanned underwater vehicle are being completed, Putin said.
The Russian President reiterated that Russia is ready for negotiations with the United States on strategic stability. However, according to him, Moscow will conduct these negotiations only on the basis of taking into account its interests. The Russian side is not satisfied with the approach declared by Washington, according to which the United States is ready to negotiate only on issues of interest to them, he said. “And where it’s not profitable for them, there’s nothing to discuss. As they themselves say, business as usual (“business as usual”). There they will seek to defeat us. But this, of course, will not suit them,” the president said.
