Russia Moves to Raise Taxes on “Foreign Agents”

Russia’s State Duma voted on Thursday to sharply increase taxes on individuals and organizations designated as “foreign agents”, in a move widely viewed as the latest escalation in the Kremlin’s long-running campaign against political opposition and dissent.

Under the new measure, those labeled as foreign agents will be required to pay the highest income tax rate of 30%, replacing the current tiered system that ranges between 13% and 22%.

The decision marks one of the most punitive financial steps yet taken against the group, which includes hundreds of activists, journalists, civil society organizations, and other critics of the government.

Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin defended the measure in a Telegram post on Thursday, declaring that “those who betrayed our country should not receive tax exemptions,” according to Germany’s DPA news agency.

The language reflects the increasingly hardline rhetoric used by senior officials, who have long framed dissent as an act of disloyalty and collaboration with hostile foreign powers.

Russia introduced the term “foreign agent” in 2012, and it has since become one of the state’s most powerful instruments for marginalizing opposition figures. What began as a label for groups receiving foreign funding has evolved into a broad political weapon.

Recent legal amendments mean the Justice Ministry no longer needs to prove that an individual or group has received money from abroad in order to classify them as foreign agents. Mere suspicion of “foreign influence” is now enough.

The current list includes more than 1,000 individuals and organizations deemed to be under such influence.

Being designated a foreign agent carries extensive consequences. Those on the list are barred from running for public office or participating in election monitoring, prohibited from working in state institutions, denied income from rental properties, blocked from earning interest on savings accounts, and will not be able to receive royalties or income from intellectual activities.

The restrictions effectively push many activists, journalists, and civil society workers out of public life, or out of the country altogether.

The new tax hike comes as Russia continues to tighten its legal and political framework amid wartime pressures and an ongoing crackdown on independent voices. The foreign-agent system has expanded dramatically in recent years, affecting not only high-profile critics but also academics, artists, bloggers, and ordinary citizens expressing dissenting opinions.

The decision signals that Moscow intends not only to monitor and stigmatize its critics, but also to financially penalize them at a scale not seen before.