The semifinal of the Legal Marathon contest for tax officials held at St Petersburg University

As part of the contest, the teams had to develop a project − a new perspective on solving practical challenges faced by employees of the Federal Tax Service in their work.

The semifinal of the Legal Marathon was organised by the Federal Tax Service together with St Petersburg University.

Welcoming the marathon participants, Daniil Yegorov, Head of the Federal Tax Service, stressed that the development of the tax service today is based on the principle of digitalisation, the search for new solutions in interaction with citizens and market participants and, at the same time, the formation of new social rules. ‘We understand that behind every rule is a person,’ remarked Daniil Yegorov, Head of the Federal Tax Service. One of the main goals of the Federal Tax Service today is therefore to: foster conscientious behaviour among participants in the economic system; humanise the legal aspects of the Federal Tax Service’s work; and prevent tax crimes. Daniil Yegorov called the Legal Marathon a foundation for the formation of the right legal framework and the development of the service in order to ensure the competitiveness of the Russian economy in terms of the tax system.

Nikolay Kropachev, Rector of St Petersburg University and Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, noted that St Petersburg University implements similar ideas: it conducts research into preventive justice, examines Russian legislation, and analyses law enforcement practice. That is why the principle laid down in the Legal Marathon − the search for alternative solutions to legal issues − is very close to the University. ‘We are proud of our cooperation with the Federal Tax Service,’ said Nikolay Kropachev.

For two days, representatives of the professional community of Russian tax officials analysed the work of the Federal Tax Service not from the perspective of routine processes, but from the perspective of legal development. Defending prepared memoranda, the participants discussed: reputational risks for taxpayers; principles of openness and mutual trust in the procedure of conducting an on-site tax audit; legal design − a method of applying the principles of design thinking in drafting legal documents; liberalisation of tax secrecy; and the powers of tax authorities in conducting pre-trial tax dispute resolution to name just a few.

St Petersburg University implements the master’s programme "Tax Law and Tax Advice". The programme combines fundamental theoretical training based on the latest research in the theory of tax law and knowledge of the practice of applying the norms of current tax legislation. Graduates of the programme are trained for public service, judicial activity and advocacy; they can also provide legal support to businesses, and engage in human rights activities.

The work of teams was evaluated by experts from: the Central Office of the Tax Service; the Arbitration Court of the Northwestern Federal District; and the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation. Among those who took part in preparing the contest and evaluating the projects submitted by the teams were experts from St Petersburg University, lecturers in the master’s programme "Tax Law and Tax Advice": Professor Nataliia Sheveleva; Associate Professor Sergei Ovsiannikov; and Associate Professor Sergei Sosnovskii.

As a result of the two contest days, teams from Krasnoyarsk Krai and the Tula Region reached the final.