Back in 2019, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev stated that Russia has to become the locomotive for the world economy and the centre of gravity. However, Russia does not use this main competitive advantage - being a major energy power, although it could provide a global leadership role for the country. High energy prices for domestic enterprises impede development of industries and agriculture; hamper the growth of the living standards of the majority of the population. Electricity rates for industry in Russia in 2015 were higher than in the United States even by ruble exchange rate and twice as high as those in purchasing-power-parity terms. Meanwhile in 2018, the Ministry of Finance of Russia decided to continue the tax reform in the oil industry. The reform stimulates the export of raw materials and the tax burden for using the oil industry production is shifting to the domestic consumers. This paper focuses on the so-called "tax manoeuvre" in the oil industry as a threat of Russia's claim of world leadership. Export duties for oil and oil derivatives will be reduced from current 30% up to 0% (of oil prices) in 6 years, beginning in January 2019. The mineral extraction tax for oil will simultaneously increase proportionally by 2024. It becomes apparent that the tax manoeuvre will lead to the rise in fuel prices by 1,5 times in 6 years and bringing domestic energy prices to world market level which is equivalent 100 rubles per litre of petrol by current exchange rate. We argue that the rise in fuel prices will contribute to higher inflation every year. On the one hand, higher inflation will provide the state budget growing, but, on the other hand, it will foster the social tension in the country. We show that the tax manoeuvre was widely criticized by large oil companies and independent petrol stations chains. We think that an alternative mode of development of Russia that can provide a global leadership for the country is transition to the solidarity-based system of national income allocation.
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