A State Duma deputy called for a ban on self-employment: more than 12,7 million people currently work under this tax regime.

Nikolai Arefyev, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Economic Policy, called for a ban on self-employment. He argued that there is no such thing as self-employment anywhere in the world, and there's no need to substitute the term "unemployed" for "self-employed." The deputy believes the ban will help combat informal employment. 

"Our government has deprived people of their jobs. These people have found some kind of occupation to support themselves, and they're told, 'No, you have to pay for being deprived of your job, and you have to pay taxes, too.' And so they came up with this whole self-employment thing," сказал Arefyev in conversation with Abzats. 

He added that three million young people are currently unemployed and don't pay taxes, and increasing budget revenues at the expense of ordinary citizens is wrong. Arefyev noted that some employers employ people as self-employed and don't make contributions to the budget. He is confident that without this status, employers would be obligated to formally employ all employees, offer good conditions, and a decent salary.  

Self-employed in Russia at the beginning of 2025 было 12,744,568 people have contributed 219 billion rubles to the budget since the tax regime was introduced. The youngest self-employed person is 14 years old, the oldest is 84. 

This tax regime has been in effect since 2019. When working with individuals, self-employed individuals deduct 4% of their income, and when working with legal entities, 6%. Annual income must not exceed 2,4 million rubles. No reporting is required: everything is done in a single app, "My Tax." 

Self-employed individuals work as couriers, beauty professionals, tutors, rent out housing, and transport passengers. About 60% of the self-employed are men.