In Russia, a proposal has been made to introduce a tax on migrant transfers abroad, including to Uzbekistan

In Russia, a proposal has been made to introduce a tax on migrant transfers abroad, including to Uzbekistan

The Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR) has initiated a proposal to introduce a mandatory 5% fee on money transfers made by foreign citizens from Russia abroad. The proposal has already been sent to the Minister of Finance. Among the countries to which large sums are transferred from Russia, Uzbekistan was specifically named.

The idea of establishing a mandatory payment on every transfer made by a foreign citizen outside of Russia was sent to the head of the Ministry of Finance by LDPR leader Leonid Slutsky.

According to the initiative, banks and payment systems would be required to automatically withhold 5% of the transfer amount and transfer these funds to the federal budget.

"If money is earned in Russia, a portion of it should remain here and work for our economy and our people," Slutsky stated.

The party emphasizes that currently, transfers by foreign citizens and stateless persons abroad are not subject to any separate tax or mandatory fee.

According to expert estimates, migrants transfer about 25 billion dollars out of Russia annually. As an example, the appeal cites data for 2025. The volume of transfers from Russia to Kyrgyzstan amounted to 3.2 billion dollars, and to Uzbekistan — about 18.9 billion dollars.

According to Slutsky, the new fee will become an additional source of revenue for the federal budget. The LDPR also believes that it will help partially compensate for budget expenditures associated with the stay of foreign citizens in Russia.

For now, this is only a proposal by the party. No decision to introduce such a payment has been made.

Earlier, Slutsky proposed shifting the education of all foreign students in universities to an exclusively paid basis. The author of the initiative believes that state universities are funded by the taxes of Russians, so tuition-free spots and dormitory spaces should be reserved for them, while depriving foreigners of benefits was described not as discrimination, but as "fairness."