The government did not support the bill to reduce fees for harvesting sprat, as well as some shellfish species.
Sprats may become more expensive, and such delicacies as spisula and corbicula clams may disappear from stores altogether. In order to avoid this, parliamentarians proposed to significantly reduce the rates of water use fees for these types of shellfish and sprats from March 1 next year.
However, the government did not agree with their arguments, citing the lack of financial and economic proposal. The authors of the bill took into account the comments and on June 19 reintroduced it to the State Duma.
The deputies recalled the instruction of Russian President Vladimir Putin to increase the consumption of domestic fish products by citizens. For this purpose a roadmap to 2030 should be developed, which will make fish and seafood more affordable.
After the change in catch tax rates two years ago, the profitability of shellfish sales fell sharply: for spisula it fell to 12%, for corbicula - from nine to unprofitable minus 13.
For the last four years, almost the entire volume of legally caught spizula and corbicula was exported to the countries of the Asia-Pacific region, and the products presented on the Russian market in the network are the products of poaching, the explanatory note says.
Due to the sharp decline in catch the budget is underpaid taxes, also fishing gave work to residents of economically depressed areas.
According to calculations of the authors of the document, the proposed rates of fees will increase the profitability of catch: spizula - up to 24%, corbicula - up to 8%.
Senator Lyudmila Talabaeva noted in a conversation with the "Parliamentary Gazette" that if nothing is changed, fishermen will stop catching these shells, which are especially valued in Japan.
In recent years, the cost of extraction and processing of sprat has been increasing. Talabaeva emphasized that it is especially important to make the extraction and processing of sprat profitable in the conditions of sanctions.
The Fish Union confirmed that the current conditions and high rates of the levy may lead to an increase in prices for sprats and sprat. They noted that the reduction of the levy on the state budget revenues will not affect much, but will allow to maintain the availability of this fish.
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