MOSCOW, July 2 (RAPSI) - A group of upper house legislators have sponsored a bill proposing that 50% of every fine paid by companies for violating consumer rights which does not go into the federal coffers be divided evenly between local governments and consumer rights advocacy groups, Izvestia daily reports on Tuesday.

The bill, which has been submitted to the State Duma, proposes splitting the fine between municipal authorities and public associations (25% each) if the consumer rights violation lawsuit was filed by the public association. Meanwhile, if the case was initiated by the local elected authorities, they should be entitled to 50% of the amount.

At present, the fine is split 50-50 between the state and the plaintiff - either a consumer rights group, local government or the consumer whose rights have been violated.
The authors of the initiative believe that in reality, local elected authorities can do little to protect consumer rights because they do not have the required financing or qualified specialists. The 25% share of fines paid by companies will help them increase their role in protecting consumer rights.

Nikolai Zhuravlyov, one of the sponsors of the bill, said the funding will enable municipal governments to set up special departments responsible for protecting their residents' consumer rights in court.