Unified social tax is a federal tax of the Russian Federation. It is credited to the federal budget, as well as various extra-budgetary funds at the national level. These funds are represented by the Social Insurance Fund, the Pension Fund, and compulsory medical insurance funds . This tax is intended to collect the targeted funds necessary for the state to provide pension and social welfare and medical care for the population. Through the UST, the social function of taxes is manifested .
Law No. 212-FZ of July 24, 2009 stipulated that on January 1, 2010, the 24th head of the unified social tax will cease to be in force. This means that the payment of UST was replaced by the payment of mandatory contributions by the payers to the social insurance fund and the Pension fund, as well as to TFOMS and FFOMS.
According to this law, deduction rates remained unchanged from January 1, 2010, while starting from January 1, 2011 they increased by 34%, of which 26% are compulsory pension insurance contributions. Insurance contributions are paid from the total annual earnings, which does not exceed 415 thousand rubles. Such a compulsory insurance deduction system can significantly increase the level of pensions. At the same time, pensions after thirty years of paying assessed contributions amount to no less than 40% of the salary level.
Those payers who need to pay the labor of individuals, as well as payers who pay UST from their own income, pay a single social tax . The first group includes legal entities, individuals registered as individual entrepreneurs and paying salaries to other individuals, as well as ordinary individuals (citizens). Payers in this case act as employers.
The unified social tax , according to Articles 235 and 236 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation, must be paid by organizations that pay remuneration to individuals under civil law, labor and copyright agreements, with the exception of cases of payment of remuneration to individual entrepreneurs.
Unified social tax must be paid after the tax return is submitted by March 30 of the year following the reporting period. A copy of the declaration must be submitted to the PFR authority on a territorial scale by July 1 of the year following the reporting period for the payment of UST.
Unified social tax has an object for employers, remuneration paid to individuals under various types of contracts and, in addition, payments made under labor contracts.
Social tax provides for tax benefits in the following cases. Benefits and compensations in case of unused vacation, insurance premiums under a medical insurance contract are exempt from its payment. In addition, those payments that are not related to reducing the base in the case of income tax, income and expenses of persons with disabilities of all three groups (I, II and III) are not subject to UST.
UST rates and its distribution are determined by Article 241 of the Tax Code. Amounts that are not subject to taxation are indicated in article 238, and benefits - in article 239 of the Tax Code. The calculation procedure itself and the deadlines for payment are prescribed in Article 243 of the Tax Code. Amounts are paid separately to the federal budget and separate funds for the corresponding percentage of the tax base.
The amount payable in social services by the payer is reduced independently by the amount of expenses for the purpose of social insurance. The amount payable to the federal budget may be reduced by payers by the amount of insurance premiums for the same period for retirement insurance, based on the rates stipulated by law No. 167- dated December 15, 2001 “On Pension Compulsory Insurance”.
At the end of the month, payers must calculate advance payments for UST according to the amount of payments accrued from the beginning of the corresponding tax period to the end of this month.