MOSCOW, February 18 (RAPSI) – The gravity of tax crimes should be evaluated by the percentage of the taxable sum, Russian business ombudsman Boris Titov said in a statement released by his press service.

A law on raising the ceiling for evaluating damages from tax crimes was drafted by the business ombudsman's expert council in November 2013 and submitted to the State Duma via the inter-party working group on the protection of business interests. The group is chaired by Viktor Zvyagelsky, Deputy Head of the State Duma Committee on Economic Policy.

Titov said these proposals are being discussed at the State Duma Committee for Civil, Criminal, Arbitration and Procedural Legislation. He proposed setting the ceiling for grave damage at over 2 million rubles ($57,000), provided that the sum equals at least 20% of accrued taxes (the current ceiling is 10%), and exceptionally grave damage at more than 10 million rubles ($285,000) or 30% of accrued taxes. The current ceiling is 20%.

Titov has also proposed keeping the ceiling beyond which damages shall be assessed regardless of the percentage. Grave damage is to be evaluated at 10 million rubles (the current figure is 6 million), and exceptionally grave damage at 30 million rubles ($854,700). The ombudsman holds that this provision should be ultimately dropped.