It seems that there will be no new tax for Steam, Epic Games Store and other foreign playgrounds. The Ministry of Finance of Russia stated that it was not going to finance the fund for the development of patriotic games “at the expense of any fees.”
Where exactly they plan to take money for the fund is not explained. But the department expects that its launch may make investments in the gaming industry more attractive.
“The introduction of any taxes or fees on foreign digital companies or services, including the distribution of games, is not considered taking into account the ongoing work on the OECD platform to restructure the taxation system of global international companies (the so-called Pillar 1, Pillar 2). Russia is actively participating in this work and will not take any unilateral decisions,” Maxim Parshin, Deputy Head of the Ministry of Finance of Russia, commented on the situation
The fact that the government is considering a new tax for sites like Steam, Epic Games Store and PS Store was reported by Kommersant. It was assumed that they would be obliged to give 5% of sales in Russia to the budget. This would provide the fund with 10 billion rubles a year.