Monetary discussions: the State Duma will develop an alternative draft budget

The adoption of the draft budget for 2026-2028 will be the most important issue that State Duma deputies will consider in the first half of autumn, said State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin at the opening of the new session on September 16. One of the parliamentary factions, Fair Russia — For Truth, even decided to develop its own alternative draft of this document and will try to convince the cabinet to adopt it, the leadership of the SRZP told Izvestia. United Russia noted that they would support only those budget amendments that would be financially secured. The Communist Party of the Russian Federation did not rule out that they would not vote for the budget if they saw that it could negatively affect the economy. What other initiatives will be considered by the State Duma deputies in the fall — in the Izvestia article.

Why are MPs working on an alternative state budget

In the first half of autumn, the key issue in the State Duma will be the consideration of the federal budget for 2026-2028, said State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin at the opening of the session. The deputies will decide whether to accept the draft proposed by the government or not. Practice shows that not all political parties are ready to unconditionally support the Cabinet. This year was no exception — in particular, Fair Russia – For Truth will offer its alternative budget, the leader of the faction, Sergei Mironov, told Izvestia.

— This fall, we will develop an alternative budget for 2026. The document is being developed by our deputies together with experts, and we are sending it to the Ministry of Finance and the State Duma. Firstly, these are proposals for additional sources of income for the treasury. We show how to increase income and where to get money through tax, anti—corruption, and antitrust measures. And we are showing how to spend them effectively, first of all on social spending, support for citizens, industry, and the social sphere," said the head of the SRZP.

According to him, in a similar project for 2025, state revenues were 9.3 trillion more than in the government's version, and expenditures were 8.3 trillion higher than in the budget of the Ministry of Finance. Thanks to this, the state could allocate additional funds for a significant increase in the living wage, for medicine and education, support for families with children and members of their families.

"We will strive to ensure that at least some of our proposals are reflected in the draft federal budget to be adopted by the State Duma," Mironov stressed.

In early August, Vladimir Putin announced that the government had begun work on the budget, and Finance Minister Anton Siluanov later clarified that the cabinet would consider the finished draft by mid-September.

— We are currently preparing a proposal to fill the budget with the necessary financial resources. To ensure that all tasks related to fulfilling social obligations to people and implementing national development goals are provided with the necessary resources. Currently, we are working very actively with the departments," the Finance Minister said.

In Russia, the government is responsible for developing the budget. The Cabinet of Ministers will submit it to the State Duma before October 1, Vyacheslav Volodin said. If the deputies approve the draft budget, it will be submitted to the Federation Council, where senators will consider it. Then it will be sent to the president for signature. As a rule, estimates of income and expenses are approved for the coming year, and a preliminary plan is drawn up for two more, so deputies will consider the budget for 2026-2028.

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What measures can the Ministry of Finance use to cover the treasury deficit?

The main task of the Ministry of Finance when adopting the budget is to achieve a balance between government revenues and expenditures, although today it is almost impossible to do this, Georgy Ostapkovich, director of the HSE Center for Market Research, told Izvestia.

Today in the Russian Federation, government expenditures exceed revenues, so the budget remains in deficit. According to the Ministry of Finance, by the end of the first half of 2025, the deficit amounted to more than 4 trillion rubles, or 1.9% of GDP.

— By the end of the year, the budget deficit may reach 7-7.5 trillion rubles, or more than 3.5% of GDP, — predicts Mikhail Zadornov, ex-Finance Minister.

But economists do not see this as a disaster, arguing that the budget should be balanced once every 5-6 years.

"It's okay. Half of the world lives in budget deficit. The United States has been in a budget deficit since 2002," said Georgy Ostapkovich.

How will the budget discussion take place in the State Duma?

United Russia expects to adopt the budget as soon as possible after it is submitted to the State Duma. With his help, the tasks outlined by Vladimir Putin will be solved, said Vladimir Vasiliev, the head of the EP faction. Speaking about the estimates of state revenues and expenditures, it should be understood that, like the state of the economy, it was affected by a large number of sanctions imposed on Russia by Western countries, said Elena Tsunaeva, first deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on Labor, Social Policy and Veterans Affairs, in a conversation with Izvestia.

"Nevertheless, we expect that the new budget will, first of all, comply with all social obligations, the popular program with which the party went to the polls, and, of course, the support of the participants of the SVR," said the parliamentarian.

Defense spending will also find its place in the budget, Vladimir Vasiliev noted at a press conference before the opening of the autumn session. After the draft document is submitted to parliament, discussions on all budget items will begin in the State Duma, says Tsunaeva. She stressed that the EP's position will remain the same: the party will not adopt laws that are not financially secured, and their costs will not be included in the budget.

— Discussions, as a rule, revolve around social obligations, because, in particular, communists always believe that they have not invested much in social services, and persistently introduce the same bills that are not financially secured, — says the deputy.

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The Communist Party of the Russian Federation did not comment on the party's position on the upcoming budget, noting that in previous years the party usually voted against the plan submitted by the government.

— We think that last year's budget was a killer. And this confirms the reality. 30.4% of our enterprises are in bankruptcy," Nikolai Kolomeitsev, first deputy head of the Communist Party faction, told Izvestia.

Last year, the Communists complained that the draft budget was unrealistic, and therefore would not be implemented. In addition, the EP rejected almost all the amendments of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation — to additionally support medicine, education and groups of the population in need of help, wrote Yuri Afonin, first deputy chairman of the Central Committee of the party, in the fall of 2024. In particular, he noted that the budget did not include the cost of drugs for people with diabetes.

"New people" are constantly working to propose new solutions to increase the profitability of the country's budget, Sardana Avksentieva, deputy head of the faction, told Izvestia. Last year, the party proposed a number of amendments to the government's version of the budget, but eventually supported it in the third reading. The LDPR took an identical position, approving the final version of the document. At the same time, the Communist Party of the Russian Federation and the SRWP decided to abstain.

Despite all the debates, the State Duma will adopt the budget, as it happened in previous years, Georgy Ostapkovich is sure. He stressed that the Ministry of Finance always sets a certain reserve for small amendments from deputies.

What other issues will the State Duma consider in the fall?

In addition to the budget, the deputies will continue discussing issues related to demography, rural development, new personnel in healthcare and education, Vyacheslav Volodin noted. In addition, the topic of artificial intelligence and protecting citizens from fraud remains relevant. In particular, the deputies will consider the second package of measures to combat cyberbullying, which were previously introduced by the government.

The issues of stricter conditions for foreign agents, regulation of moped riding, a potential ban on vaping for children and the cancellation of homework, which the deputies discussed during the summer holidays, will not be ignored. In total, there are 1,174 bills in the legislative portfolio of the State Duma. The deputies adopted two of them in the second reading, 251 in the first. 951 initiatives are under preliminary consideration, Volodin said.

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The deputies started considering the draft laws on the very first day of the session opening. So, in the first reading, the State Duma adopted a draft on university admission benefits for stepsons and stepdaughters of ITS participants, and also supported an almost twofold increase in the fine for transporting children without car seats — it will increase from 3 thousand to 5 thousand rubles.