The Ministry of Digital Development was asked to finalize amendments to the bill on advertising rates.

According to the initiative, all online advertising distributors will have to pay 3% of advertising revenue per quarter. The publication’s interlocutor clarified that the updated draft will specify an algorithm to account for said income. The protocol with this decision has already been signed, another source confirmed.

The provision on the introduction of the tax first appeared in the draft federal budget for 2025-2027. Under the original version of the bill, all advertising distributors, advertising system operators and advertising agents were required to make deductions. The collection is supposed to be used to support Russian software developers.

The Ministry of Digital Development and the Federal Antimonopoly Service have been tasked with preparing a draft government resolution that will define the criteria for classifying certain materials as online advertising. It is recommended to involve market representatives in the development of criteria to take into account the characteristics of different business models. A meeting on this issue was held on November 19 and the deadline for the execution of the order was set for November 24. .

The Association for the Development of Interactive Advertising (ARID) expressed its position to Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Grigorenko. In the letter, ARIR indicated that control of collection was transferred to Roskomnadzor, which does not have the authority to collect payments to the budget. In addition, the association proposes reducing the collection rate from 3% to 1%.

Director of the Legal Department of the European Media Group, Dmitry Grigoriev, believes that advertising criteria should be based on the definition of commercial information subject to registration in the Unified Register of Internet Advertising, with the exception of certain categories, such as private advertising.

The Association of Bloggers and Agencies warns that the 3% rate could mean higher advertising costs, which would affect companies’ marketing budgets and the cost of goods and services. The association’s lawyer, Anastasia Krasnikova, clarifies that the increase in costs will begin with advertising integrations and will lead to higher prices throughout the chain.

The Russian Association of Electronic Communications (RAEC) supports ARIR’s proposal to reduce the tariff rate to 1%. According to RAEC representatives, a high rate can significantly increase advertising costs for all market participants.

ARIR confirmed to Kommersant that the appeal was sent and Grigorenko’s office confirmed its receipt.

• Advertising market sources told Forbes in mid-November that authorities were preparing a new rate for the distribution of online advertising. The magazine’s interlocutors argued that the rate could range between 2% and 5% and that it would begin to operate in April 2025.
• A few days later, RBC received an updated version of the bill, in which the tariff is 3%. Federal radio and television channels “First”, “Russia 1”, “Russia 24” and others will be exempt from paying it.