Assessment of the tax burden of small-scale food industry

The observed high shadow activity in small business requires scientific search for the causes of this institutional trap. Tax burden is considered to be a key factor of its existence. The study is aimed at assessing tax burden of small industrial enterprises in terms of its adequacy to developed countries. Methodology of the study is based on the supply-side economics theory, namely the well-known concept of the Laffer curve. The research applies classical methods such as tax burden calculation, economic modeling based on small food industry, as well as comparative analysis of tax burden in Russia with the same taxation in a country with high level of small business development (USA). Such business formats as an individual entrepreneur (similar to the US Sole Proprietorships) and OOO (similar to the US - Limited Liability Company) are considered. The comparison allows us to make a conclusion on tax burden adequacy in the Russian Federation for small industrial enterprises, subject to availability of special tax regimes in the form of Patent tax system and Unified Imputed Income Tax (UIIT). Another important conclusion of the article is that small business, which has no opportunity and benefits to apply special regimes, bears increased tax burden (compared to the United States) due to General tax system.