COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF TAX BURDEN FOR TOURISTIC SMBS IN GREECE AND RUSSIA

Starting from the second part of twentieth century an increasing share of the world GDP is forming by services including tourism. According to the world experts' estimates, tourism as a sphere of economic activity has a great potential for development, however, the implementation of this potential in a certain country depends to a large extent on conditions created by the authorities. In particular, taxation of the touristic business affects its investment attractiveness and competitiveness. The objective of the current paper is the assessment of the tax conditions in the touristic business on the base of comparative analysis of the tax burden of small and medium-sized business (SMB) operating in Attica Region, Greece, and St. Petersburg, Russia, as tour operators or travel agents, has been undertaken. The choice of objects for comparison is caused by the expansion of the touristic exchange between countries and the increase of tourist flows in these cities. In 2016 the Greek Tourism Ministry and Russia's Federal Tourism Agency (Rostourism) signed an agreement to encourage mutual tourist flow, simplify tourism related formalities and establish contacts between Russian and Greek travel operators. In the paper short description of touristic branch in the countries under consideration is given; legislative requirements and tax regimes for SMB (in general) and the most characteristic for tourism are analyzed; the method of tax burden evaluation is substantiated; tax burden for SMB companies is calculated, processed by statistical methods and interpreted from the standpoint of each country and in comparison. The research methodology consists of logical analysis and statistical methods. The results of research can be used by the authorities responsible for development of touristic branch in the countries under consideration and by the touristic companies working out the plans of cooperation. This research also establishes for the first time a common groundwork, regarding taxation comparison in Russia and Greece, which can be used for building up.