Telecom operators in Russia underpaid 2.58 billion rubles to the universal service reserve for 2023–2025.

Telecom operators in Russia in 2023–2025 underpaid 2.58 billion rubles to the universal service reserve (USR).

Contributions from telecom operators to the universal service reserve are the largest item of federal budget revenue administered by the Russian Ministry of Digital Development.

Telecom operators independently calculate the amount of mandatory contributions to the RAO, but account for income differently, and most of them do not have regulatory documents or methods for calculating the amount of contributions.

MOSCOW, September 8 - RIA Novosti. Telecom operators in Russia in 2023-2025 underpaid 2.58 billion rubles to the universal service reserve (USR), which is due to incorrect calculations of mandatory contributions by the companies themselves, follows from the report of the Accounts Chamber of Russia.

The Accounts Chamber checked how the Russian Ministry of Digital Development exercises the powers of the administrator of federal budget revenues from communications operators' contributions to the universal service reserve (USR). The audit revealed risks of underestimating the amount of these payments.

“A random check revealed facts that operators did not include income from certain types of communication services in the base for calculating contributions to the UO. As a result, in 2023-2025, 2.58 billion rubles were underpaid to the universal service reserve,” the statement says.

Auditor of the Accounts Chamber Danil Shilkov noted at the board that contributions from telecom operators to the universal service reserve are the largest item of federal budget revenue administered by the Russian Ministry of Digital Development.

Thus, in 2023, the volume of revenue amounted to 14.6 billion rubles - 50% of all ministry revenues, in 2024 - 17.5 billion rubles, which is 53%, in 2025 - 28.6 billion rubles (87%), in the first half of 2026 - 17 billion rubles (72%).

Shilkov added that in 2025 the total number of payers was 5.5 thousand legal entities and individual entrepreneurs. At the same time, 93% of the volume of all payments was made by 50 telecom operators - 1% of the total number of payers.

In addition, during the audit, the Accounts Chamber noted that telecom operators independently calculate the amount of mandatory contributions to the RAO. The deduction rate is set at 2% of income received from the provision of communication services in the public communication network.

“However, operators account for these incomes in different ways. There are difficulties and ambiguities in the distribution of revenue received by type of service. Most telecom operators do not have any regulatory documents or methods that determine the procedure for calculating the amount of deductions,” the department reported.