Monitoring of the Federal Legislation dated 17.12.2004

Federal Law No. 160-FZ of December 16, 2004 on the Amendments to the Federal Law on the Procedure of Forming of the Council of the Federation of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation and the Federal Law on the Status of the Member of the Council of the Federation and the Status of the Deputy of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation and on the Invalidation of Item 12 of Article 1 of the Federal Law on the Amendments to the Federal Law on the Status of the Member of the Council of the Federation and the Status of the Deputy of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation

According to the amendments, the members of the Council of the Federation representing the single-chamber legislative (representative) bodies of state power of the subjects of the Russian Federation are elected no later than within three months after the day of the first session of the new convocation of the qualified composition. Representatives of the two-chamber legislative (representative) bodies of state power of the subject of the Russian Federation and representatives of the mentioned bodies built by rotation are elected from the day of expiry of the period the previous representatives of the appropriate bodies were elected for.

Members of the Council of the Federation representing executive bodies of state power of the subjects of the Russian Federation are assigned no later than within three months from the day of the accession of the appropriate higher official of the subject of the Russian Federation (head of the higher executive body of state power of the subject of the Russian Federation).

The authority of the member of the Council of the Federation begin with the day of adoption by the Council of the Federation of the Decision confirming the authority of the given member of the Council of the Federation. The authority is terminated from the day of adoption by the Council of the Federation of the decision confirming the authority of the new member of the Council of the Federation representing the same body of state power of the subject of the Russian Federation.

At the presentation of the Chairman of the Council of the Federation, the authority of the member of the Council of the Federation may be terminated ahead of the term by the body of state power of the subject of the Russian Federation having elected (assigned) him using the same procedure that was used to elect (assign) him as a member of the Council of the Federation.

Decision of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 790 of December 15, 2004 on the Non-Application of the Rate of the Export Customs Duty for Newsprint Paper

The rate of the export customs duty in the amount of 5% of the customs cost endorsed by the Decision of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 1364 of December 9, 1999 does not apply to newsprint in rolls or sheet (code according to the Foreign-Trade Commodity Nomenclature of Russia 4801 00 000 0).

The Decision is entered into force 1 month after the day of its official publication.

Decision of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 774 of December 14, 2004 on the Amendments to Some of the Acts of the Government of the Russian Federation Pertaining to Protection and Use of the Objects of Fauna

The changes pertain to the reorganisation of the federal bodies of executive power and redistribution of enforcement and control functions among individual bodies. The Decision specifies that permissions (regulatory licenses) for the circulation of wild animals of the species entered in the Red Book are issued by the Federal Service of Enforcement in the Sphere of Use of Natural Resources (earlier, the Ministry of Natural Resources). The Federal Service of Enforcement in the Sphere of Use of Natural Resources shall also provide for the state registration of zoological collections of scientific, cultural, educational and aesthetic value, as well as individual outstanding exhibits and the keeping of the register of zoological collections. The same body shall issue permissions for the moving of zoological collections across the border of the Russian Federation and provide control over observation of the rules of catching of objects of fauna of the species entered in the Red Book.

Order of the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation No. 106n of November 24, 2004 on the Endorsement of the Rules of Entry of Information in the Fields of Payment Documents for the Transfer of Taxes, Fees and Other Payments to the Budget System of the Russian Federation

Introduces the new rules of entry of information identifying the payment, the payer and the recipient of the resources in the payment documents for the transfer of taxes, fees and other payments to the budget system of the Russian Federation. Information in the fields "Payer", "Recipient", "Payment Destination" of the payment documents used to transfer resources through the payment network of the Bank of Russia using electronic technologies (without accompanying payment documents on paper) must be entered using the maximum number of digits available in these fields. The taxpayers (payers of fees), tax agents, tax collectors or payers of other payments - legal entities, independent entrepreneurs, private notaries, lawyers having founded lawyer cabinets, heads of peasant (farmers') enterprises and other natural persons - shall draw up payment documents according to the rules specified for the given categories of payers.

The rules apply to credit organisations (their branches) when they draw up payment documents for the total amount for the transfer of taxes, fees and other payments to the budget system of the Russian Federation paid by natural persons without the opening of the bank account.

The Order is entered into force from January 1, 2005.

Registered in the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation on December 14, 2004. Reg. No. 6187.

Order of the Ministry of Natural Resources of the Russian Federation No. 689 of November 11, 2004 on the Endorsement of the Instruction on the Procedure of Registration of the Fact of Discovering of the Deposits of Mineral Resources

The endorsed Instruction regulates the procedure of registration of the fact of discovering of the deposits of mineral resources by the users of mineral resources having carried out geological survey works. Registration of the fact of discovering of the deposits is vested in the Federal Agency of the Use of Mineral Resources and its territorial bodies on the basis of the request drawn up according to the provided form. The request must be submitted by the applicant no later than one months after the date of signing of the statement of the state expert evaluation of the mineral reserves confirming the industrial significance of the deposit.

Registered in the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation on December 14, 2004. Reg. No. 6186.

Regulation of the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation and the Central Bank of Russia No. 108n/264-P of December 3, 2004 on the Procedure of Termination of Operations on the Accounts of the Federal Budget for the Year 2004 Opened in the Divisions of the Payment Network of the Bank of Russia and Credit Organisations (Branches)

Provides the rules of termination of operations on the accounts used to register incomes distributed by the Federal Treasury bodies of the Ministry of Finance of Russia among the levels of the budget system of the Russian Federation, as well as the particulars of termination of operations on the accounts used to register resources of the federal budget in the Russian and foreign currencies.

Registered in the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation on December 14, 2004. Reg. No. 6184.