Annotation

Addressing demographic challenges is of particular importance to modern states, including Russia. To this end, a range of measures is employed, including tax and legal instruments. Such instruments include tax payments, notably the state fee for marriage registration. However, the origins of the legal design of this payment and its role in implementing the principle of justice have not previously been examined as distinct subjects of scholarly inquiry. Nevertheless, these issues are significant for identifying directions for the development of the Russian legal system and for addressing the strategic challenges facing society. Accordingly, this article presents the findings of an analysis of the emergence and evolution of the legal design of the state fee for marriage registration within the Russian legal system and identifies the factors that shaped its formation. The historical method made it possible to trace the introduction of this payment and subsequent changes in its legal design. The comparative legal method facilitated a comparison of this institution with analogous arrangements in other jurisdictions, including those that previously shared a common legal and regulatory framework with Russia. The article concludes that the legal design of the state fee for marriage registration in the Russian legal system evolved in response to shifts in socioeconomic structures, which were themselves shaped by both external and internal factors.