The order, signed September 24, revised the indices upward in every one of the six regions, according to The Insider. The largest increase applies to the Kemerovo Region, where the permitted average rise in utility payments was lifted from 12% to 19.8%.
In Mari El the index rose from 9.4% to 14.9%; in the Krasnodar Territory from 9.6% to 13.7%; in Yakutia from 15% to 18.9%; in Buryatia from 8.9% to 12.3%; and in the Volgograd Region from 9.4% to 11.2%.
The changes adjust indices the government approved in November 2025 and apply to payment increases from October 1, 2026. The order took effect on the day of its official publication.
The index does not mean every bill will rise by exactly that amount. It sets the permitted change in the combined utility payment on average across a region, while the actual increase depends on the municipality, the set of services and the tariffs in place.
The revision came four days after voting in the State Duma election concluded. Polling ran until September 20, and according to official results United Russia won 355 of 450 seats, retaining its constitutional majority.
Less than a week after the election, the authorities announced several measures at once that increase the financial burden on citizens and businesses. On September 24 the government approved a draft federal budget for 2027-2029 and a package of tax-law changes prepared by the Finance Ministry.
Among the proposals is extending the five-tier personal income tax scale, with rates from 13% to 22%, to Russians' passive income: interest on deposits, dividends, income from securities transactions and the sale of property. A separate 13-15% scale currently applies to such income. According to economists surveyed by Forbes, this measure alone could bring the budget around 500-700 billion rubles a year.
The Finance Ministry also proposes setting VAT at 22% immediately on foreign goods bought through marketplaces, although a gradual introduction had previously been envisaged. A new tax on additional profit arising from rising world prices is planned for some extractive companies.
The moves continue a series of tax increases in recent years. Since 2025 Russia has operated a five-tier personal income tax scale, and corporate profit tax rose from 20% to 25%. In 2026 the authorities raised VAT from 20% to 22%.
The new tax initiatives come amid a growing federal budget deficit and rising war spending. In the spring the government was still considering cuts to non-military spending, and Reuters reported preparations for a possible 10% sequester of some 'unprotected' budget items. By September it had become clear the deficit would significantly exceed initial plans.
On September 21, the day after the election ended, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said the deficit could reach about 3% of GDP by the end of 2026, instead of the 1.6% written into the budget. Siluanov cited military needs directly as one reason for the higher spending, including stronger air defenses after Ukrainian attacks on Russian infrastructure. To cover the deficit, the state plans to increase borrowing beyond the initially planned 5.5 trillion rubles.
Separately, Deutsche Welle reports a revision of alcohol excise duties: excise taxes on beer and spirits were initially to rise from 33 to 34 rubles and from 824 to 857 rubles respectively from 2027, but the authorities decided to raise them more, to 35 and 878 rubles, according to Interfax.