Abstract: The subject of this research is the trends and peculiarities of investment cooperation between the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China. The object of this research is the economic cooperation of the two states. The relevance is substantiated by the fact that Russia-China economic cooperation is in priority among the politicians and researchers; due to its high importance for the two countries, it would expand gradually, but there are still multiple problems for deepening the relations and increasing complementarity. The foal of the article consists in examination of investment prospects of the Russian Federation in terms of economic cooperation with China, identification of the problems, and search of possible ways out of the situation. It is underlined that Russia-China economic relations are largely based on the traditional trade. Investments between the countries are limited, and joint projects lately remain incomplete. The author assumes that the significant internal modernizations are necessary in supply chains, which should be subsidized by Russia in order to retain sustainability of regional development. It is determined that there is strong potential for intensification of economic relations, fulfillment of which requires solution of multiple problems.

Keywords: modernization of the economy, energy cooperation, trade, bilateral projects, technologies, investments, Russia, China, institutional development, artificial intelligence

Abstract: The research explores public relations emerging in the process of money issuance, circulation of cash, credit and electronic currency, accounting and reporting on operations involving finances, currency regulation, organization of national payment system, as well as financial control. The financial control includes control of the solvency of token money; control of adherence to the order of cash transactions and cash register operations; control and oversight of adherence to requirements towards check out equipment; monitoring and supervision within the national payment system; currency control; control in the sphere of counteraction of money laundering, and various forms of financing of terrorism. The scientific novelty consists in the fact that based on the general theoretic positions on juridical facts, the author formulates a concept of juridical facts, which bring forth emergence, changes, and termination of financial legal relations in the sphere of money circulation. The work delineates financial operations from civil law dealings, and the conclusion is made on the possibility of examining financial reform as a relative event. The author highlights the juridical facts of the event and juridical facts of the state.

Keywords: financial relationship, state, events, actions, currency, money, money circulation, legal facts, financial law, finance

Abstract: The concept of tax expenditure is gradually being implemented into the budget process in the Russian Federation, which justifies the relevance of this research. Russia uses the legislative approach towards identification of tax spending, which has a weak theoretical-methodological base. There is currently no precise criterion for allocation of tax expenditures, while the definition formulated by the Article 6 of the Budgetary Code of the Russian Federation further complicates their identification. Thus, there is an objective need for development of more comprehensive approach towards identification of tax expenditures from the theoretical perspective. The study of foreign practice allowed concluding that qualification of the tax norm, as a tax expenditure is a rather debatable question. The novelty and scientific-practical importance of the conducted research consists in the proposed interpretation of tax expenditures and tax incentives, which reflects their main attribute consisting in divergence from the fundamental principles of taxation, and ensures accord with the concepts used in the budgetary legislation. The authors develop an algorithm for identifying tax expenditures, based on solution of the task on determination of adherence of the content of tax norm to the key elements of the mechanism of functionality of a tax incentive.

Keywords: adjustment to ability to pay, discretionary income, neutrality of tax system, principles of taxation, benchmark, tax incentives, tax expenditures, budget process, equivalence of subsidies, varied tax burden

Abstract: With the cooling of global economic and exhaustion of internal sources of finance, the countries need to attract foreign investment in form of foreign direct investments (FDI) to stimulate economic growth. The subject of this research is the factors defining the inflow of foreign direct investments into national economies, as well as comparison of the factors impacting attracting of foreign capital into developing and developed countries. For comparison of the inflow of FDI, the work utilizes the following factors: openness of trade, wages, size of the market, development of infrastructure, and tax policy. In the next few years, developing countries will continue to maintain an edge in size of wages, but due to drastic difference in the quality of labor resources, developed countries will be more preferable from the investment perspective. In absence of the necessary infrastructure and without additional support or stimulus of the receiving state, decisions on investments will lean towards the more accessible markets of developed countries. As a result of limited business environment, high level of expenses for starting a company, and inefficiency of the market, the state needs to provide clear communication regarding the vector of government policy in the area of investments and refrain from inconsistency in passing measures. If companies would not be certain in the future of the political course, their profit expectations would rise significantly, while investment activity would drop.

Keywords: openness of the economy, growth factors, competition, developing countries, investment attraction, human capital, foreign direct investment, economic development, return on investment, risks

Abstract: The object of this research is the expected positive and negative effects resulting from use of blockchain technology in operations of budgetary allocations. This paper analyzes the stance of Russian research on the question of need for improving the information and technological component of the budgetary process in order to ensure adherence to the principle of transparency of budgets, as well as improvements to the tools of auditing and evaluating the efficiency of budget spending in the Russian Federation. The author explores the foreign experience of practical implementation of blockchain technology into budgetary procedures. The main conclusion of the conducted research consists in substantiation of the prospects of implementing blockchain technology into the process of state (municipal) procurement, as well as process of completing a transaction involving inter-budgetary transfers, subsidies and budget investments. A blockchain model is proposed, which can be allowable as a technological platform in the aforementioned spheres of budgetary relations. The author describes the expected positive effects from use of blockchain functions and its built-in smart contracts within the indicated spheres of budgetary relations.

Keywords: state procurements, budget transparency, budget expenses, budget, smart contracts, blockchain, Distributed ledger technology, intergovernmental transfers, subsidies, budget investments

Abstract: The subject of this research is the grounds for providing budget subsidies to the companies of the real sector. Assessment was conducted on the correlation between subsidies given to the real sector for stimulating their development, and subsidies given to the private companies for performing state functions, including in the social sphere. The basis for the analysis consists in data from the laws on federal budget over the recent years, as well as federal targeted investment program and state programs enacted for the purpose of developing separate economic sectors. It is demonstrated that majority of subsidies given to legal entities go to companies carrying out tasks and functions of the government. The subsidies that are given for the purpose of compensating expanses of private companies performing state regulation of prices (tariffs) or rendering budgetary services to the population, are not of incentivizing nature. As a result, the procedures aimed at improving efficiency of budget spending, including selection of recipients on a competition basis, as well as subsequent assessment of efficiency and results of spending of budgetary allocations are not applicable to this category of subsidies. It is also demonstrated that fiscal legislation does not account for differences in grounds for provision of subsidies, which leads to their utilization as a universal instrument for transfer of allocations form public to private sector – alternatives to state tasks, procurement, investments, and lending.

Keywords: Budget code, real economy, recipient selection, investment, budget appropriations, grants, subsidies, anti-crisis subsidies, price con­trol, subsidy performance

Abstract: The object of this research is the parties of relations of bank guarantee within the contractual system. The subject of this research is the legal position of the parties of the relations pertaining to provision bank guarantee in the sphere of procurement. In the process of examining the status of the parties of relations in bank guarantee within the contractual system, the author examines the normative legal acts that establish requirements and boundaries for parties of the relations pertaining to guarantee commitment in the sphere of procurement. Throughout the process of studying the status of subjects of guarantee commitments in the sphere of procurement, special attention is given to the requirements imposed on the guarantor, beneficiary, and principal in the contractual system. The main conclusions consist in the requirements established by the Law on Contractual System and other normative legal acts restricting the list of persons authorized to act as a guarantor, beneficiary, and principal of bank guarantee in the sphere of procurement. It is determined that such requirements are characteristic to the guarantee commitment in the sphere of procurement.

Keywords: state customer, legal entities, guarantee obligation, principal, beneficiary customer, guarantor bank, bank guarantee, municipal customer., contract system, procurement sphere

Abstract: The subject of this research is the methods of assessing creditworthiness of borrowers of small and medium business, which allow assessing the level of risk for the bank. The author examines the dynamics of lending to small and medium businesses over the last decade in the Russian Federation, and analyzes the level of bad debt in the small and medium business loans credit portfolio. Critical analysis is conducted on the modern Russian and foreign methods of assessing creditworthiness of borrowers belonging to small and medium business, as well as highlights their merits and flaws. The author concludes on the fact of absence of a universal efficient method of assessing creditworthiness of small and medium business in Russian practice, overlapping of most of the indicators in the examined approaches, accent on qualitative indexes of the assessment of creditworthiness, and presence of subjective factor in the methodologies. The scientific novelty consists in substantiation of the list of absolute and relative indicators with consideration of existing research on this topic, in order to form express assessment of the creditworthiness of small and medium business, the integral indicator of which can be gained on the bases of taxonomic analysis. Improvements to the methodology of assessing creditworthiness of small and medium business can jump start development of lending to entities of small and medium entrepreneurship.

Keywords: Credit Risk, Assessment Methodology, Banking Institution, Small and Medium Business, Borrower, Creditworthiness, Credit, Qualitative Indicators, Quantitative Indicators, Loan Portfolio

Abstract: The object of this research is the investment tax deduction, which gives organizations the ability to reduce the calculated income tax contributing to reduction of income tax burden, freeing up finances, and allowing for faster replenishment of the capital asset fund of the organization. The subject of this research is the ability to use this deduction as an alternative to amortization. The author examines the economic impact of an organization in application of investment tax deduction and amortization withholdings based on various forms of property and international accounting standards. This article presents the results of comparative analysis of amortization withholdings and investment tax deduction. The author calculates the economic impact of application of investment deduction, methods of amortization, as well as application of amortization bonus, and studies international experience. Despite the difficulty of the question in hand from the practical perspective, in light of absence of statistical data and clarification from the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation, as well as case law on the application of this legislative norm, the author determines the key advantages and disadvantages of using investment deduction. The description is given to the risks of applying investment tax deduction; recommendations are formulated for using the investment tax deduction.

Keywords: abroad depreciation, equity investments, tax optimization, risks of investment deduction, bonus depreciation, depreciation methods, depreciation, investment tax deduction, depreciation IFRS, advantages of investment deduction