Govt presidium to debate aquaculture, tax benefits for innovations

MOSCOW, October 25 (Itar-Tass) -- The Russian government presidium
will discuss the aquaculture development and the provision of tax benefits
for innovations on Monday.
The government presidium will also attend to a report, which
Agriculture Minister Yelena Skrynnik will deliver on the improvement of
controlling functions and the public services in the agrarian sector, the
government press service reported.
Chief of the Federal Fishery Agency Andrei Krainy will report on the
measures to develop the aquaculture in Russia. He is to dwell on making
fish products affordable for people in various income brackets and on how
to increase the annual aquaculture output to at least 410,000 tonnes by
2020.
Specifically, the Federal Fishery Agency offers to consider "the
economic promotion measures for commercial fishing - credits on easy
terms, subsidies for a part of the costs for construction, reconstruction
and modernization of enterprises, the purchases of equipment and pedigree
fish population." "For the transition of the aquaculture to innovative
development it is offered to create innovation centers in the fishery
industry in order to provide an opportunity to pool intellectual and
financial resources and make scientific research targeted at the
optimization and a lower cost of fish-breeding in the aquaculture," the
agency reported.
Then, upon the proposal of Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister
Alexei Kudrin the government presidium will consider several amendments in
the Tax Code in order to create a more favorable tax climate for
innovative enterprises. The essence of the Finance Ministry's proposals is
that "research-and-development expenses will be included equally in other
expenses of a taxpayer." "These measures are seeking to boost long-term
venture financing and to make private investments in the development of
innovations more attractive," the ministry reported.
Federal Security Service Director Alexander Bortnikov will present to
the government presidium several amendments in the law on counteraction to
terrorism. The amendments "open up an opportunity to set in Russia the
levels of a terrorism threat that envisage additional measures to ensure
security of individuals, society and the state," a source in the
government said. "The president is empowered to set the levels of a
terrorism threat and the targets of security measures," the source said.
Chief of the Federal Customs Service Andrei Belyaninov will report on
the ratification of the agreement on peculiarities of customs operations
for the goods delivered through the international post service. "The
document is seeking to simplify customs operations and customs controls
for such goods," the Federal Customs Service reported.
Energy Minister Sergei Shmatko will also deliver a report at a
government presidium meeting. He will present several amendments in the
legislation in order to involve representatives of nuclear power and
hydropower industries in the supervisory board of the non-profit
partnership "Council of the Market" and to adopt security technical
regulations of gas distribution and gas consumption networks. Alongside,
he will also offer to approve several changes in the Energy Ministry
regulations, recruiting 45 people to set up a new department and to
increase the numerical strength of six departments of the ministry.
Director of the Federal Service for Control of Drugs and Psychotropic
Substances Circulation Viktor Ivanov will offer to pass to the president
for ratification an agreement with Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan that envisages the creation of a
Central Asian regional information coordination center for the struggle
against the trafficking of drugs, psychotropic substances and their
precursors.
Minister of Emergency Situations Sergei Shoigu will report about
270,288 million roubles of budget allocations from the Russian
governmental reserve fund to the Tomsk Region to clean up the aftermath of
a flash flood, which broke out in the region in April-May 2010.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will offer to discuss a probable
humanitarian financial assistance to the Palestinian National Authority.