Russian Central office of Customs closed on Friday the last loophole that allowed for exporting used cars from Belarus to Russia without paying additional customs fees. The old regulations of the Customs Union of Belarus, Russia and Kazakhstan, permitted to sell in Russia used cars brought to Belarus before 2010 duty-free.
What made it even profitable were Belarusian customs fees on used cars – significantly lower than the Russian fees. On Friday, the Belarusian fees were adjusted to those set by the Russian Central office of Customs. At the same time, Belarusians were additionally banned from selling used cars without paying the difference between the old and the new tariffs.
Vice-deputy of the analytical department of the Federal Customs Services of Russia, Vladimir Ivin said on Friday in a TV interview for Viesti 24 channel, that the difference can be paid both in Belarusian and Russian customs offices. The difference can reach up to few thousand euros.
Russia, concerned with protecting its domestic car industry, imposed on its Customs Union partners – Belarus and Kazakhstan very high tariffs. In case of Belarus, tariffs increased 5 times – from an average of a 1000 euros to 5000 euros for a few year old car.
Michał Janczuk (TV Belsat)
