Every third enterprise received financial and organizational assistance from the state during the crisis. Half of enterprises had to limit their freedom in terms of redundancy, cutting salaries and increasing production costs.   

MOSCOW, June 7, 2010. Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM) presents a yearly study devoted to the problems of the Russian business - evaluating Russian government anti-crisis measures by Russian entrepreneurs. The opinion poll commissioned by the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs was conducted in August-September 2009 among top managers and owners of private companies operating in industry and construction, transport and communications, service and trade sectors.

A total of 19% of Russian enterprises received financial assistance from federal, regional or local authorities in 2009; 27% received organizational support.  

The restrictions that entrepreneurs faced when  making decisions are basically  cutting workers` salaries (21%), increasing production costs and making layoffs (20% for each). Rarer businessmen felt restricted when changing suppliers (9%), cancelling (reducing) participation in socially significant projects (8%), production units` withdrawal (cancellation) (7%), and selling shares to large investors (3%). At the same time, a relative majority of Russians (39%) report they did not face anything mentioned above.  

Most entrepreneurs say that they did not feel any administrative pressure in 2009 (52%). Only 22% report they had one restriction; 16% had two of them; 11% had three or more.

Among government anti-crisis measures, tax income rate reduction is most positively perceived by respondents:  39% said it had positive effects on business. Entrepreneurs also approve government initiatives such as reducing checking on business performance   (29%) and tax rate reduction according to simplified taxation system (26%), followed by reduction of electricity connection fee (22%), and loan interest rate backing (21%). Least approved initiatives are raised import duty on cars (positively assessed by only 7%; negatively assessed by 24%). Respondents differently perceived the initiative to increase amortization charge of particular groups of capital assets: 25% could not assess if it is positive or negative, and 47% could not assess it at all. Most respondents were undecided on the effectiveness of other measures (53-63%), such as reduction of quotas for foreign labor force (63%).

The opinion polls were commissioned by the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs in and conducted in August-September 2009.  1200 entrepreneurs (large, middle and small enterprises) representing three 3 economic macro sectors (industry and construction, transport and communications, service and trade) were interviewed in 40 regions of Russia.

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