Since October 2010, the manufacturers and importers of copying equipment such as computers and cell phones and media such as CDs and memory sticks have been required to pay 1 percent of the customs value of goods sold as compensation to be paid to authors. This levy is in essence a new tax.
In his state of the nation address back in April, President Vladimir Putin stressed the need ""to stimulate the flow of capital accumulated by [Russian] citizens into our national economy."" The president called for an amnesty on previously undeclared income on two conditions: Such income would be taxed at the standard 13 percent rate, and it would be deposited in Russian banks. ""This money should work for our economy, in our country, and not lie around in offshore zones,"" Putin said.