The Ministry of Finance proposed to temporarily exempt catering from VAT on a simplified system

From April 1 to December 31, 2026, the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation proposes to exempt organizations and individual entrepreneurs in the field of catering from value-added tax, which are under simplified and patent taxation regimes. This was reported by the press service of the department on the website.

"It is proposed for the period from April 1 to December 31, 2026, to exempt organizations and individual entrepreneurs in the field of catering from VAT on USN and PSN, which have become VAT payers since 2026, without having to comply with the condition that the average salary for last year corresponds to the average salary in the region," the message says.

The Finance Ministry explained that such a measure would provide entrepreneurs with additional time to choose the optimal taxation system and ensure the smoothest possible transition to new legislative norms.

Short and expensive: after the tax increase, the business sharply increased prices

Can this be called abuse and are there any risks for the economy?

On January 19, the Ministry of Economic Development informed Izvestia that the small and medium-sized business sector continues to grow in Russia. According to the latest data from the Unified Register of SMEs, more than 6.8 million such enterprises are registered in the country. Compared to the same period in 2025, their number has increased by 247 thousand.

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