The law passed its first reading back in April 2020. In that version of the document, it was proposed to prohibit taking a commission when paying for housing and communal services from all citizens.
From the explanatory note: “The receipt and transfer of funds to pay for housing and communal services in accordance with the legislation can be carried out by a number of business entities. The legislation of the Russian Federation does not prohibit the collection of commission fees by these organizations.
In other words, the tenant came to pay for the “communal” to the bank, to the post office or somewhere else, and there they also require a commission from him. Say, give me more money! At first, of course, the tenant has eyes on his forehead: why on earth, this is your job. The answer is cynical: the law does not prohibit, and what is not prohibited is allowed. The tenant, gritting his teeth, agreed: “And where will you go?!” Although he intuitively understood that he had been deceived. It is obvious that banks (and their accomplices), collecting these commissions in the amount of 2-3% of the amount in the payment, do not just allow themselves to cut down money easily. Let’s estimate: the total size of the Russian housing and communal services market is about 3 trillion rubles, that is, commissions will turn into many billions of profits.
There is also a second source of income: having collected a lot of money from residents, authorized organizations have the opportunity to scroll commission amounts in various operations – trade and procurement, credit, etc. The profit is also quite big.
You need to be able to do this: strip two skins from one sheep (sorry, the tenant)!
From the explanatory note: “A significant part of the population of the Russian Federation is deprived of the opportunity to pay for housing and communal services without commission, as it has to be done through credit institutions… For many, the amount of the commission charged is significant and seems unfair… The bill proposes to introduce a ban on the collection of commission fees when individuals pay for housing and communal services.”
I wonder how many millions of our fellow citizens would vote for this document with two hands?! It seems that only the bankers were against it. That is why, after the successful first reading in 2020, the adoption of the law was so delayed. And as a result, the document was adopted in a heavily cropped version. It was forbidden to take a commission only from individuals who need social support. Again, in the confrontation with the State Duma, the “money bags” won.
Alexey Vorobyov.
Figure: E. Crane.
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