MOSCOW, November 9 (RIA Novosti)
Izvestia
Street Performers to Be Regulated
Moscow’s Department of Trade and Services has proposed licensing street performers, said the agency’s deputy head Nikita Kuznetsov. He said legislation is being considered that equates the “free trades” – street performers, musicians, and doubles of famous people – to small businesses.
“Law enforcement is chasing away all the Lenins, Stalins and Nicholas IIs on Manezh Square, because they are seen as illegal businesses,” Kuznetsov said. “And in a way they are – they perform for money.”
Kuznetsov said this activity should be legalized, noting that there are only two options – either allow street performing once and for all or develop a procedure to legitimize it.
The department plans to introduce a licensing system of taxation for street artists. A license will likely grant rights to perform only in specific areas – it might be limited to a square or the city center, said Kuznetsov. The amount of tax would depend on the area – it would be higher in the city center, since there is more income there. A final decision on introducing a tax and the rate will be worked out after a public hearing, Kuznetsov said.
Kuznetsov said that this activity is regulated in various ways in Western countries. In Berlin, for example, a license costs 6.5 euro per day.
A tax system is to be introduced in Russia on January 1, 2013. The Moscow City Duma has passed the first reading of the bill. The cost of licensing various street business activities will range from 36,000 to 180,000 rubles per year, depending on the estimated income of the entrepreneur.
A photo with “Lenin” on Red Square currently goes for about 300 rubles. If Mr. Lenin can sell at least five poses a day, he earns 1,500 rubles. A portrait by an artist on Old Arbat is also worth about 1,500 rubles. The authorities calculated that the average landlord makes about 3,000 rubles per day, so those who want to go legal will pay 60,000 rubles for a license.
“City Hall doesn’t understand street artists,” said musician Vladimir ‘ESENIN’ Bodrov. “Not all artists work in the street just for money.”
“Street musicians, for example, have no product or service,” he said. “People play for fun and they get charitable donations. So I don’t think there’s anything to license.”
Alexei Ryabinin, member of the Culture and Mass Communications Commission at the Moscow City Duma, said the licensing process should be simplified before being introduced.
“Now, before getting a license, an independent trader needs to register as such,” Ryabinin said. “The registration and the fee for this activity should be combined.”
Ryabinin also said the amount of tax should only be determined after consulting with the street traders. The license needs to be very low-cost for these low-income jobs – like 100 rubles a year, said Ryabinin.
Kommersant
Sergei Shoigu appoints Valery Gerasimov Chief of General Staff
Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has started forming his new team. The Main Personnel Directorate has drafted a presidential decree on the resignation of Chief of the Staff General of the Army Nikolai Makarov. Colonel General Valery Gerasimov, commander of the Central Military District, is to replace him.
A source close to the defense minister’s office said Shoigu has started consultations on personnel issues. The headquarters staff has been directed to draft the documents necessary for the dismissal of Chief of the General Staff Nikolai Makarov.
In July 2012, President Vladimir Putin extended General Makarov’s mandate by two years – until Makarov turned 65. But Makarov was not invited to join Shoigu’s team – he was considered former minister Anatoly Serdyukov’s right hand man, so it was logical for him to be let go.
In April 2007, two months after Serdyukov’s appointment as defense minister, Makarov was transferred from his post as Commander of the Siberian Military District to the post of first deputy defense minister in charge of arms procurement. In June 2008, he took over as Chief of the General Staff from General of the Army Yuri Baluyevsky. Immediately after the war with Georgia in August 2008, he was entrusted not only with the entire military structure of the Defense Ministry, but also with drafting a reform plan for the Army, which continues to this day.
During this time, the Armed Forces have undergone dramatic changes. The size of the Army was reduced to one million personnel and all the military formations and units were put on permanent readiness.
There have been significant reductions in personnel between 2008 and 2012, especially officers: 355,000 officers, about 34% of the total number of personnel, were reduced to about 150,000. Six military districts were reorganized into four enlarged districts: Western, Southern, Central and Eastern.
The command and control system was changed. The six-tier system, with the staffs of the armies, the corps and the divisions, were abolished and replaced with just three levels – joint strategic command, operational command and brigade. Everything that was previously controlled exclusively through the main headquarters is now subordinate to the district commands.
Gerasimov assumed command of the Central Military District in April 2012, previously having been Makarov’s deputy. An officer, who served with both, said their relationship was conflicted – Gerasimov often disagreed with command. For example, when the former head of the Operations Directorate of the General Staff, Lieutenant-General Andrei Tretyak, challenged General Makarov’s decision for the transfer of operations officers (responsible for drafting operations plans) to another location, Gerasimov supported Tretyak. Nevertheless, Makarov still transferred them and dismissed Lieutenant-General Tretyak. And in April 2012, Gerasimov himself was dismissed from the General Staff.
Sergei Shoigu wanted to see someone with actual combat experience to command the General Staff, so Gerasimov was appointed because he fits this description, having served in senior positions in the 58th Army of the North Caucasus Military District from 1998 to 2003.
Vedomosti
Maksim Trudolyubov: Losing Control Over Resources in This Culture Is Fatal
Those at the top fear unauthorized activity by the citizenry.
People have a tendency to see success and failure differently. These abstract notions should not be a problem, but sometimes entire nations are possessed by an idea that drives people mad.
Russia experienced this in the 2000s even though the turbulence concerned only those at the top. The seizure of nearly half of the economy by the public sector was one disturbing sign. This was not about ideological preference being given to government property. Likely, it is only the state that can exert control without accountability, and success means control, hence the state is growing. This is not just some evil plot but a natural process. If we had property rights the private sector would grow.
Ideas and positions have power. Reasoning fuelled by fear (we don’t want another 1991 or 1998) forces people to look for safe shelter. Dreams of plentiful resources come true by draining public organizations, state-run banks and companies. Their sole purpose is to protect their operators and maybe embower families and friends. These organizations are not made to create anything. They are only extensions of their founders’ fears.
Unconsciously, these people infect others with their ideas. This virus is passed from friends to friends’ friends, from old chum to old chum. Psychologists say the influence of friends is the strongest. Friendly ties and networking have been the main source of human resources in business and in the government for the past 12 years of the credibility crisis. Young people may take these ideas for wisdom, but it will take a while before we see that corporations that siphon money and create nothing don’t bring success.
How we view failure is also a problem. Societies handle hard times in a variety of ways. In some cultures, failure, be it a political or a financial breakdown, is not an end. If you fall you can stand up and keep going. In our culture losing control over resources is the end. The elite thus live in constant fear of any unauthorized social activity. It’s not ideology. It’s fear.
Evidently, it’s important for society to know who has influence and who doesn’t. We need to know which ideas will take root and which won’t so that we can know which ideas will eventually bring action.
Where strong friend or family ties dominate, beliefs stagnate. Any changes in these ties, such as fewer personal connections and more achievement-based hiring are a healthy sign. Still, top level recruitment will only be fair if impartial assessment and selection prevail. For now, the elite’s faith lies in dishonesty and control.
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