Why working in Russia is no longer beneficial
Over the past month, numerous events have occurred that concern remote workers continuing to work for Russia.
Why remote workers will have to stop doing this now or in the near future.
1. Tax Increase.
Last winter, there was news about the need to raise taxes for employees who have left Russia but continue to work for Russian companies remotely.
They were talking about the Personal Income Tax (PIT), which used to be 0% if you lived abroad for more than six months.
Today, the State Duma (the Russian parliament) passed a law introducing a 13/15% tax rate (depending on income) for such individuals.
Now, if you already pay taxes in your country of relocation, you will have to add the Russian tax on top of it.
For example, if the tax on income in Albania is 9.5%, and you add the 13% Russian tax, it would amount to 22.5%.
Moreover, in Russia, there are many hidden taxes, and PIT is just the tip of the iceberg. In reality, a person working in Russia pays around 45-50% of their salary in taxes.
Relocation from Russia
I started thinking about moving to another country back in 2016, and in 2018, I actively started exploring options, including considering Estonia. I went to an Estonian tutor and began learning the language.
Overall, my progress in learning Estonian was going well. I had lessons with a teacher and made efforts to practice through the internet.
Somewhere in the middle of 2018, I made my first attempts to find a job or at least understand how to search for one in Estonia. I visited the International House of Estonia and searched for job opportunities on various websites. However, at that time, my qualifications were insufficient for working in the Estonian IT sector.
But for various reasons, this plan was not meant to happen. I wasn't particularly keen on moving to that country, as I didn't like the situation of immigrants in Estonian society, nor did I appreciate the climate. As a result, the relocation kept getting postponed, and time kept passing.
Salaries in Russia
I decided to analyze the history of my income during my life in Russia.
From various propaganda sources, you often hear: "We have the lowest taxes, salaries always increase," and so on.
I don't want to raise the topic of taxes for now, maybe I'll come back to it later.
But let's talk about salaries. This topic is usually not discussed in Russia because it is considered impolite to count money, especially other people's, which leads to financial illiteracy among the population.
Sabetta. First trip
At the end of 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, I was searching for a job. After an unsuccessful attempt to work close to home, it led me back to remote work, and in December, I had an interview with Yamal LNG.
The company I was applying to work for was called Yamal LNG, named after the peninsula where the gas field and the so-called settlement of Sabetta are located. The only thing left of the settlement is its name; it was liquidated and replaced with a rotational work camp. It's not possible to stay there unless you work for a company associated with Yamal LNG or for the company itself. Charter flights to the area are only provided during business trips or work rotations.
Let's just say that my expectations and reality diverged when I started communicating with this company. Initially, I thought it was a progressive, semi-Western company where it would be respectable to work, based on the information I found online and from former colleagues. In reality, everything turned out to be worse...
Final work on Linux advanced practicum
I have defended my project at the Linux Advanced practicum today.
I completed the Basic part in the spring of 2021 and received a certificate. At the same time, I started working on the Advanced part. I began this while I was still at Sabetta, where I was employed (I will write a separate post about this later).
