Financial class: a methodological center on tax literacy is being created in Russia
The Russian Ministry of Finance, together with the Federal Tax Service, is creating a federal methodological structure aimed at improving financial and tax literacy of citizens, according to the ministry's website. The new center will prepare and distribute educational materials. Izvestia investigated which educational formats are most effective, which target audiences should be targeted, and which topics should be included first.
Maximum engagement
The key principle of the work will be the choice of understandable and comfortable ways of financial information for people, the press service of the Ministry of Finance told Izvestia. The newly created structure will prepare educational materials using modern interactive solutions such as video content and digital services, as well as in familiar formats such as printed publications, flyers and visual products.
In order to involve the widest possible audience, it is planned to actively hold large-scale events at the federal level, taking place both online and with personal participation. These include educational dictations, thematic marathons, and classes with interactive elements.
One of the priorities is to work with economically active adults.
"It is this category that has the greatest impact on the economy: it makes financial decisions, chooses financial services, invests available funds, and pays taxes. At the same time, adult working citizens are, as a rule, a pragmatic audience. They turn to financial issues when it is necessary in a specific life situation: when making savings, making a tax deduction, making a large purchase," the ministry said.
The goal is to convey the importance of strategic financial thinking to citizens in a simple and visual way through educational projects and information materials. In particular, it is about understanding long-term guidelines, basic principles of personal income and expense management, possible financial threats, as well as responsibilities related to tax payments, and other fundamental elements of financial culture.
At the first stage, the programs will include basic topics that will help to understand the structure of the tax system and the importance of paying taxes for the development of the state, the press service of the Federal Tax Service told Izvestia.
"It is planned to cover issues related to the types of taxes and fees, tax regimes, deductions and benefits, as well as the possibilities of using online services of the Federal Tax Service of Russia and other practical issues," the federal service said.
Applied nature
The creation of a separate federal center for tax literacy based on the Academy of the Federal Tax Service is an understandable and important step for the development of financial education in Russia, Nina Gukasova, director of the FMCF program for improving financial literacy at the Presidential Academy, told Izvestia. The initiative of the Ministry of Finance and the Federal Tax Service logically complements the Strategy of improving Financial Literacy until 2030, making work in the tax sphere more systematic and specialized.
According to her, the location of the center on the site of the Academy of the Federal Tax Service of the Russian Academy of Sciences provides a significant advantage.
— This allows us to use real examples from the practice of tax authorities — situations faced by ordinary citizens and entrepreneurs. Such applied material can be adapted for training and applied in the work of federal methodological centers throughout the country," she noted.
This is especially valuable for teachers and trainers, as learning becomes more visual and practical. Instead of abstract theory, there are analyses of specific cases, business games and interactive tasks, the expert noted. When participants see how tax knowledge helps solve everyday issues, interest in learning and its effectiveness increase markedly.
The effect is enhanced by the cooperation of the Federal Tax Service and a network of federal methodological centers that work with different audiences — from children and students to economically active citizens and older people, Nina Gukasova believes.
— In this model, the Academy of the Federal Tax Service is responsible for the content, and the current FMC is responsible for the methodology and adaptation of materials to the specifics of specific groups, — she specified.
First of all, the center's programs should be aimed at those who are less familiar with digital financial instruments and more likely to face fraud risks, Inna Litvinenko, associate professor of Economics and Management at the Russian State University of Social Technologies, member of the Public Council under the Ministry of Education and Science, told Izvestia. These are primarily people of retirement age, as well as children and teenagers.
— The main attention in the content of the programs should be paid to the issues of personal data protection and the safe use of digital services, — she noted. — In addition, it is important to provide basic knowledge that helps people manage their finances more confidently and understand the possibilities of obtaining a stable income.
Improving tax literacy is also important for businesses, Sergei Grishunin, managing director of the NRA rating service, told Izvestia. When people understand tax rules better, businesses operate more stably, reputational risks decrease, and the reliability of self-employed and individual entrepreneurs increases.
— First of all, the programs should be aimed at the self—employed, sole proprietors and small businesses, as they have the most risks of errors, - he believes. — An important audience is young people aged 18-25, who are just starting economic life.
Also, in his opinion, citizens who apply for tax deductions require attention. The effectiveness of the center's work should be assessed not by the number of events, but by the actual results, in particular, by the increase in the number of declarations and deductions, as well as the reduction of fines and arrears.
Format selection
Speaking of filing methods, it is obvious that there cannot be a universal solution here, Maxim Chirkov, associate professor of the Department of Economic Policy and Economic Measurements at the State University of Economics, told Izvestia. Approaches should be selected taking into account the characteristics of each group.
—Young people tend to perceive information better in a digital environment — through video content, short videos, and online platforms," he noted. — Older people are more likely to prefer traditional channels: print media, face-to-face meetings, educational events, or television broadcasting.
If we consider the audience as a whole, there is interest in such materials from a wide variety of categories of citizens, he is sure. However, the priority area includes young people who are just starting work or preparing for it and are facing financial and tax responsibilities for the first time.
At the same time, according to him, the older generation cannot be excluded: for them, money and tax issues are often complicated by the need to use digital services, which requires additional clarification and support.
The subject matter should also vary depending on the recipient, Maxim Chirkov noted.
— As a basis, it is important to provide basic knowledge about financial literacy and explain the essence of tax obligations, — he specified. — Further, the content can be adapted to a specific format and request: in printed materials — to disclose the topic in detail, on Internet resources - to supplement and expand information, and in face—to—face meetings - to build a dialogue and provide for the opportunity to ask questions.
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