Positive content, successful cases, long money at 1 % per annum or completely interest-free, – everything you need to develop social entrepreneurs' projects in Russia.
In your opinion, what could make a significant positive change in the social entrepreneurs' projects in Russia – maybe passing a law, building some infrastructure, establishing a development institution, or significantly increasing investment in such projects?
Honestly, I am against any development institutions. All of Moscow is nothing but development institutions, and we, Russia, cannot feed them.
The Observer Factory is worth $3 million or so. 300 billion dollars of Russia's foreign exchange reserves are frozen because of the sanctions. You could say we donated this money to god knows who. We could have built some 100,000 Observers with those 300 billion dollars. When Maxim Reshetnikov, Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation, came to us, Kaliningrad Region was allocated 5 billion rubles for small and medium business. This money is lent to businesses at 1 % per annum for seven years. Roughly speaking, if we took those 300 billion of Russia's foreign currency reserves and gave them to the projects of social entrepreneurs at 1 % per annum, they would start working, producing something in-demand, making money, paying taxes, changing the country for better, and do more positive things.
It wouldn't be so much about monetary effect, but rather about social effect. It is hard to calculate, but it is possible.
Even if, say, half of the factories (50,000) went bankrupt, the borrowed money would still return to the treasury in a few years. And Russia, not just Moscow, would receive 50,000 very real small production companies. But in order to do that, the federal government has to trust its people, and vice versa. I'm the crazy guy who trusts his government. Getting something done at the regional and federal levels.
Do you think tax preferences for social entrepreneurs are necessary?
I guess so. But I'm afraid this will immediately become fertile ground for fraud. Just offer long money at 1 % per annum or completely interest-free, and that's it, no need to do anything else.
Generally, I am in favor of people with disabilities paying for admission to the theater, museums, etc. Maybe not full price, but 50 %. Then the museum will know why it has to invest in an accessible environment: because it earns money, and people with disabilities are also its visitors. Let a person with disability earn money. If they don't want to go to work, they can always stay home and watch TV. They wouldn't need any museums.