MOSCOW, Feb 8 (Reuters) – Russia is looking at introducing a one-off, voluntary windfall tax on big business, an official said on Wednesday, as the country’s monthly revenues from oil and gas drop to their lowest levels since 2020. Three sources familiar with the discussions later told Reuters that authorities were considering a one-off budget contribution from businesses of about 200-250 billion roubles ($2.8-$3.5 billion). The price of Russian oil has fallen around 20% since early December, when Western countries set a $60 price cap on Russian oil exports. Urals oil is currently trading at about $56 a barrel, much lower than the $70 needed to balance the budget. The finance ministry said last week that it was trebling its daily sales of foreign currency to cover the shortfall, but analysts have warned that tax rises are inevitable if Russia is going to continue ramping up defence spending. Latest Updates "A voluntary contribution from business… is being discussed, a one-off contribution," First Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov said, in comments published by Russian news agencies. "The fact is that last year’s financial results were very good and many companies, especially in the first half of the year… for the […]
