[ITEM 3] QUESTION: How to pay taxes on investments?

The procedure for paying taxes on investments depends on which broker you work with, what financial instruments you use, and in which jurisdiction you receive income. Let's analyze the main scenarios for Russian investors so that you can competently plan your tax obligations and avoid fines from the tax inspectorate.

If you work through an official Russian broker, the taxation process is automated as much as possible. The broker acts as a tax agent: he independently calculates, withholds, and transfers income tax to the budget. This happens in two main cases: when withdrawing funds from a brokerage account during the year or as part of the final calculation at the end of the calendar year when closing positions or withdrawing capital.

For dividends from Russian stocks, tax is withheld automatically at a standard rate of 13 or 15 percent when the income limit is exceeded. The investor does not need to independently fill out 3-NDFL declarations for such operations, since the broker transfers all data directly to the Federal Tax Service.

The situation changes when working with foreign assets or cryptocurrency. When receiving dividends from American stocks, the broker withholds the Russian tax, but beforehand, the US tax at a rate of 10 percent is deducted from the dividend amount, provided the W-8BEN form is signed. At the same time, brokers do not act as tax agents regarding cryptocurrency. Investors are obliged to independently declare income and pay 13 percent on net profit when selling digital assets.

An important optimization tool is the netting (offsetting) of financial results. Legislation allows carrying forward losses from previous years and offsetting them against current profits from transactions with securities. This reduces the tax base and allows you to save significantly on payments to the state.