Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov has become one of the forthright critics of Kremlin-backed plans to change rules on tax investigations that entrepreneurs say will hamper business and foster corruption.

      Under proposals drawn up by the powerful Investigative Committee, tax investigations may in future be able to go ahead without a sanction from the Federal Tax Service.

      Prokhorov, a politician and a tycoon with an estimated $13 billion fortune, slammed the proposed reform as “poorly thought-out and dangerous” in a statement accompanying a petition drive launched Wednesday on the website of his Civil Platform political party.

      The tax investigation was earlier publicly criticized by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, who had been the initiator of the reform in 2011 which was aimed at restraining alleged instances of law enforcement agencies fabricating tax cases to extort money from businesses. President Putin answered in his tough manner that members of the government should consider leaving their post if they disagree with president-backed initiatives.

      More than 14,000 alleged tax crimes were recorded in 2010. That number dropped to 8,600 in 2011, and again to 5,800 last year.