Russia has plenty of millionaires

The number of millionaires in Russia has increased by 30% in 2003 and reached 10,000 people, said Head of the Department of Taxation of Individuals, Russian Tax Ministry Valentina Akimova.
According to Ms. Akimova, 10,000 tax payers wrote in their income declarations from 2003, that they had earned from 1 million to 10 million roubles,. More than 1,100 of them earned more than 10,000 roubles in 2003, this figure surpasses the one from a year ago by 434, or by 64 percent.

According to Ms. Akimova, the record profit made by an individual in 2003 was 94.5 billion roubles. This individual resides in Moscow. The two other record holders live in Chukotka (income of 11.5 billion roubles) and in Khanty-Mansiisky Autonomous District – 6.4 billion roubles.

According to the Forbes magazine which published the list of the richest Russians in May, 2004, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the former head of YUKOS company, is the richest man in Russia. Currently Mr. Khodorkovsky and the other six YUKOS CEOs from the Forbes’ list of the richest Russians, are prosecuted by Russian authorities on criminal charges.

The Forbes’ considers the growing number of wealthy Russians as the confidence of Western investors in Russian economy.