Semi-finished products of Bakhetle, Nizhnekamsk microfiber, Chistopol auto parts: new projects in PDAs of Tatarstan
The сommission has approved six projects worth 5,6 billion rubles for all priority development areas in Tatarstan
After the extension of the preferential tax regime for priority development areas this year, Tatarstan resumed consideration of new applications from residents. On 7 June, the commission approved the expansion of the “product” project of the founder of Bakhetle, Muslima Latypova, in the Zelenodolsk PDA, accepted replenishment in the Naberezhnye Chelny PDA and Nizhnekamsk PDA. And the most remarkable thing is that activity has revived in the single-industry town of Chistopol, which for a long time was not gaining “points”. In total, this will bring 5,6 billion rubles of investments to single-industry towns. Read the details in the material of Realnoe Vremya.
Benefits in PDAs extended for another two years
The republican commission for reviewing applications from PDA residents is meeting more and more often. The federal authorities have extended the preferential tax regime for the participants of priority development areas for another two years, recognising that the introduction of this regime has led to the emergence of many growth points in single-industry towns.
Previously, benefits for residents of PDAs were supposed to expire on January 1, 2023, but the heads of the regions were able to convince the Russian government of their effectiveness. However, the set of benefits has changed, has become more selective.
At the same time, the PSEDA was renamed as PDA, removing the term “priority socio-economic development areas” to avoid confusion with special economic zones. They also expanded opportunities for the admission of foreign workers without obtaining permits and quotas. Investors were not long in coming.
The application for the expansion of the construction project of a factory for the production of frozen semi-finished products by Saelra PLC with a total cost of 520 million rubles was the first for consideration and approvement. The company is registered to Elvira Kharlamova, the daughter of the founder of the Bakhetle chain, Muslima Latypova.
The entrepreneur decided to double the capacity to 1 million tonnes of products a month. A year ago, Kharlamova received the support of VEB.RF Group for the creation of the production of frozen flour semi-finished products in Zelenodolsk. The Single-Industry Towns Development Foundation (part of VEB.RF Group) gave her an interest-free loan of 250 million rubles, covering half of the amount of necessary investments. With these funds, Saelra built a production building with a total area of more than 5 thousand square metres, and also purchased equipment. The company has already started producing frozen pies with stuffing, puff pastry, cottage cheese cheesecakes, and other flour products. Initially, the capacity was stated at 540 tonnes a month, and now Kazan cooks are one step ahead on the way to a systematic increase in output by more than 3 times.
Novices in Naberezhnye Chelny
The preferential regime of the automotive city continues to attract machine builders, which is logical. This time, the Naberezhnye Chelny PDA has been replenished with two new residents.
Thus, the Udmurt business group of the Akhmadullin family is transferring the localisation of components for oil drilling equipment here. Geotech oil-producing company is going to place the production of mobile drilling rigs, which will be by 30% cheaper than their foreign counterparts.
Kamaneftemash PLC is preparing to build a plant here for the production of oil equipment with a total cost of 360 million rubles.
According to the CEO of the company, Sergey Kuznetsov, the choice in favour of Naberezhnye Chelny is connected not only with tax benefits, but also proximity to the technological base for machining, electroplating, and so on. According to him, the future plant is to be operational at the end of 2024. At the same time, it is fully provided with orders from the parent company Geoservis PLC.
The second newcomer to the Naberezhnye Chelny PDA is TESK PLC from Naberezhnye Chelny with a project for the production of asphalt concrete mixtures. It is closely connected with the road contractor Kamaavtodor, which carries out the construction of roads in Zakamye.
Nizhnekamsk and Chistopol residents have become more active
One of the first residents of the Nizhnekamsk PDA is expanding the scale of business. Bicotex PLC is opening the production of microfiber products. According to CEO Georgy Schitrlazle, the company has applied to expand the volume of investments by a little — by only 48 million rubles, or 2,2 percent, but systematically moves towards increasing the cost to 3,6 billion rubles. Three years ago, the company defended itself with an initial investment of 2,2 billion rubles.
The growth of production will require an increase in jobs from 330 to 600. The adjustment of the investment project is associated with a change in the geopolitical situation, which has increased the demand for microfiber inside Russia. The extension of the preferential regime for the PDA did not affect the tax regime for this company in any way, Schitrlazle noted.
Business activity revived in the Chistopol PDA, which received the status later than other single-industry towns, in 2018. But its residents have retained the initial package of tax benefits. The main one is a social security benefit at the rate of 7,6% for 10 years. But it is valid only for those who managed to become a resident in the first three years since the launch of the PDA.
Such pioneer investors will have the opportunity to enjoy the benefit until 2027-2029, but it is no longer applicable for new residents. Along with this, the “pioneers” will have the opportunity to maintain the zero rate on the federal part of the income tax for five years and reset property and land taxes (the republican part).
These advantages were taken advantage of by two current residents of the Chistopol PDA — Mettem Automotive Components LLC and Foundry-Mechanical Plant PLC. “Due to the change in the global strategy of the automotive industry, we are being forced to make new decisions on even deeper import substitution," said Elena Limanskaya, the head of Mettem Innovations PLC.
For comparison, about 800 million rubles have been invested in the Chistopol PDA for four years. The company contributed another 250 million, and the total investment in the PDA increased to 1,1 billion rubles. Due to the increase in capital investments and jobs, the adjustment occurred immediately by 37%.
“Initially, they had little faith in them, there were doubts, skepticism. But then we supported them, and it turned out not in vain," said the head of the Tatarstan Investment Development Agency, Taliya Minullina.
The main source of investment, according to her, is the companies' own funds. The total cost of six projects of all Tatarstan PDAs amounts to 5,6 billion rubles, as a result of the adjustment of investments, it has increased by 40 percent.