Russia's Liberal Democratic Party (LDPR) has proposed introducing a mandatory 5% fee on money transfers by foreign citizens from Russia abroad. The initiative has already been sent to the Finance Minister. Uzbekistan is specifically mentioned among the countries receiving large sums from Russia.

The proposal to establish a mandatory payment on every transfer by a foreign citizen outside 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 automatically withhold 5% of the transfer amount and forward these funds to the federal budget.

"If the money is earned in Russia, part of it should remain here and work for our economy and our people," Slutsky said. The party notes that currently, transfers by foreign citizens and stateless persons abroad are not subject to a separate tax or mandatory fee.

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

According to Slutsky, the new fee would become an additional source of revenue for the federal budget. LDPR also believes it would partially cover budget expenses related to the stay of foreign citizens in Russia.

So far, this is only a party proposal. No decision has been made to introduce such a payment. Earlier, Slutsky proposed making all foreign students' education at universities exclusively paid. The author of the initiative believes that state universities are funded by Russians' taxes, so budget places and dormitory spots should be intended for them, and depriving foreigners of benefits was called not discrimination but "justice".

Source: podrobno.uz