Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin said that the term "presumption of guilt" could not be added to tax legislation. The tax system stipulates that law-abiding taxpayers pay taxes and inspections only target suspect areas.
Economic Development Minister German Gref went even further, proposing a way to protect business from the tax agencies. According to him, in some countries businesses may request an audit of their tax reports. This is done before a company emerges on the market so that it can show investors that it is "clean." If the tax agencies have claims on the said company after that, so much the worse for them, the minister said, as they would not be able to present them.
In addition to methods of calling the tax agencies to order, the minister expects to complete privatization by selling the remaining property that the state does not need within three years. "The only question is: Do we have the political will not to discuss the strategic importance of each enterprise?" Mr. Gref said.
