The economist stated the risks of "gray" payments for builders and real estate agents

Andrey Glushkin, a member of the Board of Directors of Merak Development and founder of Merak Far East, told Izvestia on March 24 how the new mechanism for controlling transfers between individuals would affect the construction and real estate markets and what steps would help market participants prepare.

"As reported by RBC with reference to Rosstat data, in the third quarter of 2024, the number of people employed in the informal sector reached 15.8 million people — 21.3% of all employment, this is the maximum since 2016. A significant part of these people receive money by transfer to a card, without registering either as sole proprietors or as self-employed. It is their transactions that are the main target of the new mechanism. The government calls this a "whitewashing" of the economy, and from a fiscal point of view, the logic is clear: revenues that have remained outside the perimeter of tax control for years are finally coming into view," the source said.

According to the expert, the main risk for companies and employees is that regular transfers to individuals' cards automatically come under the attention of the Central Bank's algorithms.

"For bona fide market participants, this is an occasion to put the document flow in order now, without waiting for requests from the tax service," Glushkin said.

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Special attention should be paid to construction crews, where most employees receive payments by money transfers from a foreman or directly from companies to individual cards. Similarly, real estate agents who work outside the status of self-employed or sole proprietor will also be monitored for regular commission transfers. Surcharges between individuals in case of assignment of rights of claim to apartments can also be fixed by a new mechanism.

The economist stressed that the transition period will be nine months, and until the signing of the law, market participants can adapt the document flow without penalties.

"Self-employment for working with individuals is now available and simple: the tax on professional income is 4%. Bringing all operations to an official level is the best way to reduce risks," he added.

On March 23, the government commission approved a bill obliging the Central Bank to transfer to the Federal Tax Service information about citizens who receive income from other individuals on the card without paying taxes. This will improve the identification of account holders and strengthen control over income where cash is not used.

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