Where firewood?

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At the moment it is impossible to find a newspaper that would have addressed the issue of the stabilization fund, whose size, on May 1, has passed for 800 billion rubles, the Central Bank's gold reserves, in excess of the oligarchs, the number of which Russia took the second place in the world of industrial policy. As a result of such an influx of money, at the helm of the Finance Ministry and the government went around his head, and they, in order not to ruin our economy, what will happen inevitably, if believing they decided to ruin the American economy, and invested these funds in American securities. "Stabilization Fund and the Central Bank reserves are invested in low liquidity securities of foreign states. In other words, our "oil" money do not work on domestic and on foreign economies. " "Arguments and Facts", Yelena Panina, a State Duma deputy, deputy of the Committee on Economic Policy of the State Duma.

But, despite the heated debate around the Stabilization Fund, no one raised a question: where, strictly speaking, firewood, that is, excess profits, which are divided between the state and the oligarchs? Those explanations that we hear that this is the result of increased oil prices on the world market, which is a natural resource rent, may meet except the ignorant. Although at first glance all this seems justified. But is it really? Is this a gift of nature or random luck, as a result of price fluctuations on the world market?
To penetrate into this problem must address questions of cost of goods than they are defined and what the natural rent.
Without going into the depths of political economy can be stated generally accepted wording that the cost of goods - has crystallized socially necessary labor. That is a commodity worth as much as it takes the average socially necessary labor in its production. Reverse no one has yet proved. It should be borne in mind that the value of a commodity is determined not only by the amount of labor used in the final stages of production, but also by the amount of labor required for production of machinery and equipment used in the production process. In concrete terms the value of the goods can be divided into constant capital, a machine, equipment, buildings, raw materials, which in the process of production takes its value to the final product, and variable - the value of the applicable workforce. In turn, the value of constant capital used too decomposed into a permanent capital and labor. Expression of the same value of goods for money is its price, which fluctuates depending on supply and demand. In terms of competition and free movement of capital, price always fluctuates around the value. From all this it logically follows that the price of a commodity depends on the value of the applied constant capital, ie machinery and equipment used in production and labor costs, that is, the value of wages of employees.
 It should be noted that super-state and the oligarchs got to the last increase in oil prices. The prices of oil have increased as a result of global economic growth and hence oil demand growth, and reduce oil reserves in the world. To clarify the same issue of our price fluctuations on the world market do not matter.
 Assume that the oil produced in Russia, one ton of oil worth $ 1000. Of this $ 1000 $ 300 goes to pay the oil, $ 400 for a permanent capital and $ 300 of profit, which falls on the taxes necessary payments, such as for the right to develop the deposit, and the income of the entrepreneur. Now, let's say, in Norway tonne of oil worth $ 1200, and is divided into the following proportions: $ 600 goes to pay wages, 400dollarov of constant capital and $ 200 profit, which also includes taxes and income of the entrepreneur. In Britain tonne of oil worth $ 1500, and its price is as follows: $ 600 of wages, $ 700 costs of constant capital and $ 200 profit. If we imagine that in addition to the above-mentioned countries in the world market no one, because it does not change the fact, then we arrive at the following conclusions.
When the extraction of natural resources, which are unevenly scattered across the planet, and belong to different owners, which are the state, there are rent relations. In the rental price of the relations of production in the worst conditions for capital, and this tax, and labor costs, and environmental conditions, and customs restrictions, is regulating the market price. And if oil prices rise further, it will produce and at great depths of the seabed, and then tons of oil on the world market will be even higher.
In our case, the market price will be, located at around 1500 dollars per ton. Hence, Russia's entrepreneurs will sell oil worth 1000 dollars to 1500 dollars per ton. Where did they began an additional 500 dollars per tonne. And they have arisen not because of the natural resources of Russia, although the basis of this is, but because of tax incentives from the state, because of low labor costs, due to a higher degree of exploitation of workers in Russia, and not only in oil industry, but in the whole manufacturing sector. That is all, as the need for oil pipes, drilling, machinery, tractors and much more, for the production of which, in turn, requires coal, metals, wood, and all this constant capital is its value in the final product. And accordingly, the lower the cost of labor, ie wages, the ton of oil is far cheaper for the entrepreneur, the more he will profit from the sale of its international markets. But these profits are reaching, with the help of the State, in the pocket of the oligarchs, is nothing like the surplus value created by employees of different industries. Profits are not generated by the mines, fields, land or capital, as such, but it allows owners to get their share of surplus value. And the state, all sorts of methods of restraining the growth of real wages creates favorable conditions for the formation of super-profits. And if we add to this tax benefit for the oligarchs, who pay only 9 percent of their incomes, while ordinary citizens are paying 13 percent, it becomes obvious rapid growth of big capital.
Today we can say that in the commodity trade in the international market does not occur in nature, and the state rents. State ownership of the territory where the extracted oil and other natural wealth, where the state has the right to levy taxes, where it actively participates in the regulation of wages, where the state is interfering with the will of the people, and create opportunities for excess profits, and therefore this excess must be considered not natural rents, and the state.
So what if the miner does not receive $ 300, and 3000, in engineering salaries would not be less than 2500 dollars, and in the industry do not lower doctors and teachers - not less 1000dollarov and entrepreneurs capitalized the profits, there are no excess profits to and did not arise, there is no overheating of the economy and did not happen, and the members of the Government and the Ministry of Finance does not hurt to head, how to use the additional revenues. How to sterilize excess money and prevent their country's economy.
And then, according to our example, the cost of tons of oil extracted in Russia would not cost a thousand dollars, and assume 1400 dollars decay in the following manner: $ 600 wages, $ 600 costs of constant capital and $ 200 profit, but $ 100 has arisen over profits could be successful, to address the parliament has been invested in the future development of the country in science, the development of new technologies. And in this situation, the problem of the use of thousands of Russians to decide, as employees and entrepreneurs in various industries. And believe me, they would have placed them for the benefit of themselves and the country, and they would not have a desire to place them in the securities of foreign states.
All indications are that our nation is coming in the wake of the oligarchs, so much unfolded in sweating from his people, that is about to drown, and without the help of the people he could not escape.
Vitaly Glukhov
10.10.2005