 | | | |
| ||||
|
Nikolay Levichev made comments about the amendments to law On the General Principles of the Organization of Local Self-government 12 ìàðòà 2014 Amendments were submitted to the State Duma to Law "On the General Principles of the Organization of Local Self-government in the Russian Federation" that abolish the direct elections of heads of cities with districts: they would be appointed from among the deputies and become heads of the city dumas, and the city managers would be responsible for the municipal services and facilities. The city council (the parliament) would consist of deputies delegated by the district representative bodies. Upon journalists’ request, Nikolay Levichev, the Deputy Chairman of the State Duma, Chairman of the Council of the deputies Chamber of party A JUST RUSSIA made comments about this initiative: – Properly speaking, the submitted draft law is actually aimed at abolition of local self-government in the Russian Federation. At present, large municipalities and, first of all, the capitals of the subjects are actually the only municipal formations having at least some independence, their own budgetary resources and the sources of financing their powers. According to this law, the regions may just arbitrarily deprive the population of large cities of its constitutional right for self-government. In my opinion, it is a mere paradox that the draft submitted yesterday is prepared by the Working Group on the self-government reform that was established by the President’s order. Thus, local self-government is being demolished by the people sheltering themselves behind Vladimir Putin’s authority and who claim it is "execution of the president’s order. What we heard in the President’s address was completely different: A large number of problems have really piled up. There is no clear division of powers and responsibilities for their exercise among the levels of power, neither is there division of finance resources among them. But the President’s words "to specify the general principles" have nothing to do with "to demolish" as it would mean ‘treatment of a headache with a guillotine’. The examples are around us: one of the things that provoked the events in Ukraine was that the population had not perceive the bodies of power as spokesmen of their interests. In this case, statehood becomes very fragile. The key to the solution of the self-government problems and appearance of the open, transparent and responsible local authorities that are (according to Vladimir Putin) within the reach of every citizen is the tax and budget independence of municipalities but not abolition of elections of the city mayors and city parliaments. Right two weeks ago we had a meeting of the Chamber of Deputies of party A JUST RUSSIA devoted to development of self-government where spoke deputies of the State Duma and regional assemblies as well as municipal deputies. Its resolution was sent to the President, all the heads of regions and the regional assemblies. Now in brief: first, local self-government must develop in the direction of broadening real financially supported powers of municipalities, urban and rural settlements as the public authorities closest to people. Second, we directly appealed to the bodies of state power of the Russian Federation subjects to refrain from limitation of independence of municipalities and not to allow violation of people’s constitutional rights for local self-government. As we say, it is high time to stop making life a nightmare for the local communities. As for the given draft law, it is the one about the hardest ever pressing of the regional authorities on municipalities. Third, we proposed a wide range of steps to be taken in the budget and tax legislations to provide municipalities with real independence: this is increase of return of the personal income tax share in the budgets of municipal formations (moreover, it is necessary to gradually raise this share up to 40 percent), and transition to payment of personal income tax at the place of taxpayers’ residence. And finally, fourth, to put an end to the agitation of the local authorities and trouble of our people with such premature initiatives like the one we are being proposed, and to strengthen stability of the local self-government, we have offered to adopt a special Federal Constitutional Law laying the basis and establishing the general principles of the organization and development of local self-government. It will be impossible to voluntarily change such a law several times a month in favor of the so-called "vertical structure of executive power."
|
