"I don't feel sorry for the people at all": What Russians are saying about the idea of ​​increasing the recycling fee starting November 1

Let's start with the fact that public discussion and evaluation of upcoming government decisions is nothing revolutionary. The federal portal for draft regulatory legal acts is one of the democratic tools that still remains in our country. However, it's typically used by experts in a given topic, while most civil society assumes that the matter will be sorted out without their input. Furthermore, submitting a review requires a complicated registration process through Gosuslugi. This discourages many potential stakeholders.

However, the sharp increase in the recycling fee for foreign cars proposed by the Ministry of Industry and Trade, effective November 1, has sparked an unprecedented surge in public outcry. Outraged by the new levy, citizens are posting a hyperlink to the website containing the document in comments and on forums, suggesting, if not a thorough analysis of the proposal, then at least a dislike. As a result, since September 12, approximately 70,000 Russians have expressed their opinion. And it's not in favor of the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

Of course, it couldn't have been any other way with any document asking citizens to approve or reject the idea of ​​increasing tax levies. Clearly, the question "Do you want to pay an extra million rubles when buying a car, or do you want to keep the preferential payment of three to five thousand rubles?" would elicit a universal "no." This is probably why no one will hold a public referendum on increasing VAT from 20% to 22% effective January 1, 2026.

But the recycling fee is a different story. The schedule for its annual increase until 2030 was adopted a year ago. And since then, car market participants, if not exactly approving, have at least somewhat resigned themselves to the inevitable—on the condition that a loophole for individuals to buy a car abroad with a preferential recycling fee remains.

Now it turns out, as Novye Izvestia has already noted , that the Ministry of Industry and Trade has unwittingly found itself playing the role of a cheater, breaking the game by pulling out an extra trick in the form of a 160-horsepower ceiling for those eligible for benefits. This is precisely why people are wondering: will the authorities clamp down on auto imports again in a year, lowering the entry fee to the level of an ancient Niva with an 83-horsepower engine? And can we even trust the officials regulating the auto market?

Many citizens believe that regulators themselves are confused about the goals of their innovations. If the main goal was to raise extra revenue for the federal budget from foreign car buyers, this goal has already been thwarted, as the overall auto market has declined by 29% over the year, and with it, so have revenues from increased recycling fees. By comparison, the global auto market grew by 4% over the year.

If new levies are introduced starting November 1st, the goose that once laid golden eggs will simply die. Or the budget's cash cow will stop milking.

Given this perspective, some citizens have applied zoological comparisons to the bill's initiators:

Other Russians are not so sarcastic and are trying to arouse the Ministry of Industry and Trade's sympathy by arguing that "the people are not at all to be pitied."

"What's all this for? They'll collect less money in the end. People are poor, and most people buy used, right-hand drive cars because they're not well off. Those who can afford it will keep buying whatever they like. Now who are the sanctions against?" writes a YouTube viewer.

"It's already clear that the sites abroad are being swept away. Those who need them will take them. This means that next year, new car sales in showrooms will be close to zero. Just like budget revenues. This is pure sabotage for the country on the part of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, despite the dreadful budget deficit. And, as always, no one will be held accountable," adds another.

There are also a few voices in favor of the Ministry of Industry and Trade's idea in the media. But these are either gloating marginalized individuals who will never be able to buy a car, or fervent believers that by 2030, the Russian auto industry will be bursting with new factories and millions of domestically assembled vehicles. After all, we already went through this in the early 2010s, when major global brands were forced to build their factories in Russia. So why not try again? They're not going anywhere, they say!

No, the skeptics respond. You can't step into the same river twice. Firstly, none of the global giants, with the exception of Korean Hyundai, intend to return to our market as long as the sanctions and the reasons for their imposition remain in place. Secondly, only the Chinese can open factories for mass production of automobiles. They will become absolute monopolists in our market.

And then a reasonable question arises: was this extortionate recycling fee instituted for the sake of our Chinese neighbors? To hand over the Russian car market to them for the next 100 years?

This theory is almost a conspiracy theory. But the facts support it. Sales of the most popular Russian-made crossover, the Haval Jolyon, have already exceeded those of the Lada Vesta. And what will AvtoVAZ be left with when the Chinese open not one or two, but two dozen large factories in Russia? That's right: the Tolyatti plant will vanish into thin air.

In the meantime, the Ministry of Industry and Trade is using wild recycling fee rates to test whether millions of Russians are willing to pay two or three times the price of their cars, or whether it's worth considering not introducing new rules.