MOSCOW. Aug 7 (Interfax) - Member of the Russian Public Chamber, renowned chess player Anatoly Karpov has called for serious tax exemptions to be extended to non-profit charity organizations.

Speaking at a press conference at Interfax in Moscow on Tuesday, Karpov said that he disagreed "with politicians and businessmen who claim that benefits are a legacy of the past."

"Benefits promote the development of civil society institutions," Karpov said, citing the case of the United States "where serious tax exemptions to charities create an ideal environment for them."

"Financial support to non-profit organizations at the expense of budgetary funds is normal," he said.

"In some cases, public organizations can approach a problem faster than the government," he said.

He also called on the government to change its attitudes toward environmental organizations. "Public organizations which deal with environmental problems are often opposed to the government and government bodies. This creates an impression among political leaders that environmentalists exist only to raise scandals, which hampers the development of the state," Karpov said.