State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin described the idea of prioritizing Russians who have left the country as wrong and unfair.
Volodin’s Telegram channel indicated that employees of Russian companies who continue to work from abroad should face higher taxes.
He also noted that those who leave the country should be encouraged to return. The State Duma is considering a bill to remove any special preferences and to raise the tax burden for citizens who departed after the start of Russia’s actions in Ukraine, with the aim of ensuring fairness.
“Why they fled is understandable. Those who realize a mistake and return should be acknowledged, but the majority of society does not support their actions, considering them to have betrayed their country, relatives, and friends,” Volodin wrote.
Opinions in the Duma
Yevgeny Fedorov, a State Duma deputy and member of the Budget and Taxes Committee, told socialbites.ca that it is unlikely the tax rate for those who left will exceed 30 percent.
“If a person stays outside the Russian Federation for more than six months, a 30 percent rate applies, including on property sales. From what I understand, raising the rate beyond that would be difficult, and there is no need,” Fedorov said.
He suggested tightening oversight of these processes. He added that it is possible to refine rules affecting real estate and taxation, such as cases where a person sells a property and the sale occurs after a certain period of ownership, which could affect tax status. “Some adjustments can be made here,” the deputy noted.
Fedorov also expressed strong agreement that departing Russians should be deprived of certain privileges. “Why should support for people connected to the Russian Federation outside the budget be continued? This support comes at the expense of other citizens, and it should be carefully reviewed and monitored,” he stated. He noted that if a person works abroad and has a foreign employer, paying a similarly scaled tax in Russia is a plausible outcome. He added that a higher rate would be hard to justify for those abroad beyond a 30 percent threshold.
Nikolai Kolomeitsev, the first deputy chairman of the Communist Party faction in the State Duma, did not support Volodin’s measure.
“Those who left are the product of two decades of social and educational conditions. The references to old media and culture are seen as a political maneuver, and we should focus on creating incentives for them to return,” said the Communist MP. He noted that many in this group are IT professionals and doubted that the proposed measure would revive patriotism or bring people back.
In Search of Happiness
On December 20, Volodin addressed the signaling remarks from the head of the Ministry of Digital Development regarding IT professionals leaving Russia. He argued that priority should be given to those who remain in the country.
“Everyone will return. The goal is to train cadres who will not betray their homeland no matter what. That should be the priority, and the deputies will support it,” Volodin commented. He emphasized the need to create favorable conditions for Russian specialists to stay or return.
Volodin asserted that those who seek a better life abroad will not find lasting fulfillment there, suggesting that happiness and full realization are unlikely outside Russia. He urged discussion on what conditions could be established domestically to retain talent. He observed that many who left were IT professionals who chose to work remotely for Russian companies while abroad.
Maksut Shadayev, head of the Ministry of Digital Development, previously noted that around 100,000 IT professionals left Russia in 2022, with roughly 80 percent continuing remote work for Russian employers.
The Klishas Proposal
Andrey Klishas, chair of the Committee on State Building and Constitutional Legislation of the Federation Council, told the Vedomosti newspaper that authorities could craft measures to make living abroad less comfortable for immigrants. He indicated that legislation could be changed to limit the arrangements that let people work remotely for Russian companies and earn money while abroad, and questioned whether taxes were being fully paid. He suggested that changes were possible.
Klishas also said he did not believe Russians who left had committed a crime. He asked whether it is necessary to persuade them to return through additional benefits and expressed skepticism about paying extra to bring back those who fled mobilization.
Who Did Matviyenko Call “Rats”
On October 28, Valentina Matviyenko, head of the Federation Council, described immigrants who left the country and criticize Russian officials as comparable to “rats who escaped from the ship.”
She added that those who remain abroad and express disdain for their homeland should not be expected to return. Churchill’s line about simulating a shipwreck to drive away rats was referenced by a spokesperson for the upper house.
Matviyenko and Volodin argued that society views the actions of those who left as treason against the country, the army, and the motherland. They accused the departed of seeking a new status in the hoped-for new order.
Matviyenko later stated that no final judgment could be made and speculated that conscience might eventually prevail. She described nostalgia for the homeland and warned that those who left might return disappointed.
“Everyone Has the Right to Choose”
Russian President Vladimir Putin commented that the behavior of Russians who left after the start of the special operation in Ukraine did not surprise him. He observed that in any society there are people driven by personal interests and plans, not necessarily by patriotism.
Putin added that he does not condemn such actions outright, noting that a large majority of Russians remain devoted to the fatherland and ready to make sacrifices for the country, even if some choose a different path for themselves.