Can Russia meet the targets for tax collection laid out in the recent IMF bail-out package?
Obviously it will be harder now. The financial crisis has made our task a great deal more difficult. But we are confident that we can meet our end-of-year target. The crucial months will be August and September given the critical need to boost confidence in the economy.
Is the trend improving?
In June we collected more than in May, and in July more than in June. The prospects for August were good until the announcements of August 17. We basically have a floating exchange rate now and the restructuring of GKOs will hit banks hard. The package will alleviate the crisis but there will still be lots for you journalists to write about. I don't want to comment on the impact on Russia's credit rating. It was not my decision.
How does the policy package affect your task as head of the federal tax service?
These measures mean that my very optimistic forecasts for August are now decidedly less so. Reaching our target may now be impossible.