introduced the necessity of accountability and
profitability, as well as motivation for economical expenditures. The concept was introduced during
Lenin's
New Economic Policy (NEP) period. However, the concept of "profitability" often favoured
light industry over
heavy industry, which was sometimes deemed to have "poor profitability." Since the development of heavy industry and
capital goods was a priority for the rapid modernisation of the Soviet Union, by the end of the 1920s, the notion of economic profitability was subordinated to the requirements of an
economic plan. This plan was heavily influenced by political decisions, with its "control figures" becoming obligatory targets within the framework of the
Five-Year Plans. The concept re-emerged during the
1965 Soviet economic reform ("
Kosygin's reform") and was further emphasised in the late 1980s during
perestroika, when it also included
workers' self-management. A tentative step towards private activity occurred in 1986 with a law allowing private management of a few handicraft and service businesses, which involved unpaid and family labour, strict state controls, and high tax rates of 65% (later reduced in 1988). == Notes ==