The easing of administrative liability for small businesses continues

On July 25, amendments to the Code of Administrative Offenses come into force, reducing the administrative burden on businesses. The amendments will avoid a fine by replacing it with a warning. Now the "right to make a mistake" applies to the entire business, including large and self-employed.

This means that the entrepreneur will not be fined for the first violation, but will only point out the shortcomings and give time to eliminate them. The measure applies only to those violations that will be revealed in the course of state or municipal control (supervision).

Recall that small and medium-sized businesses received the “right to make a mistake” back in March of this year. Amendments to reduce the administrative burden were developed by the SME Corporation and the Ministry of Economic Development of Russia with the participation of the business community. At the same time, rules were established for reducing fines for small enterprises - legal entities, the principle of "one check - one sanction" was enshrined, and double liability for violation was abolished. Previously, punishment extended to both an official and a legal entity.

The new amendments significantly reduce the size of the fine in cases where it is not possible to confine ourselves to a warning. For example, the “right to make a mistake” rule does not apply if the violation causes damage or restricts competition.

Those entrepreneurs who prevented the consequences of the violation or compensated for the damage will be fined in the minimum possible amount. The rule applies to those business entities who voluntarily compensated for damage or eliminated harm from a violation identified during control (supervision).

A 50% discount is also introduced if the fine is paid within 20 days from the date of the decision. The discount is valid for all offenses identified during the control (with the exception of some articles).

Another amendment concerns the suspension of punishment. Now the execution of the decision to pay a fine, administrative arrest or deprivation of a special right can be deferred for up to six months. Previously, the maximum delay was one month. The relief will allow businesses to avoid cash gaps and delays in mandatory payments, complete seasonal work on time, etc.