×
Enjoying ad-free content?
Since July 1, 2024, we have disabled all ads to improve your reading experience.
This commitment costs us $10,000 a month. Your support can help us fill the gap.
Support us
Our journalism is banned in Russia. We need your help to keep providing you with the truth.

Moscow Court Orders Rotenberg Company to Reveal Platon Tax System Deal

The operating company behind the controversial Platon truck tax system has been ordered to submit to a court its contract with federal road agency Rosavtodor, the Kommersant newspaper reported Wednesday.

The lawsuit against Rosavtodor and RT-Invest Transport System was filed with the Moscow Arbitration Court by opposition leader Alexei Navalny and the Anti-Corruption Foundation's lawyer Ivan Zhdanov, according to the Gazeta.ru news website.

A copy of the contract — previously not publicly available — was sent to Navalny by an unidentified source and published on his website last month.

According to the document, Platon’s operator, half-owned by Igor Rotenberg, the son of President Vladimir Putin's billionaire friend Vladimir Arkady Rotenberg, will get 9.9 billion rubles ($129 million) from the federal budget annually until 2027, the RBC newspaper reported.

The plaintiffs want the court to recognize the contract as invalid because it was concluded without a tender. The defendants disagree with the claim and consider the contract legal.

The next court hearing is scheduled for March 2, according to Gazeta.ru.

The Platon truck tax system was launched on Nov. 15, 2015. The system requires drivers of 12-ton trucks to pay 1.53 rubles ($0.02) per kilometer of federal road use.

The tax system has collected 2.8 billion rubles ($36 million) since its launch, according to Kommersant.

The introduction of the new levy resulted in mass protests by truck drivers around Russia. The authorities responded with a sharp reduction of the fines for not paying the road tax.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysiss and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more