Customs seeks to zero threshold of duty-free Internet purchases

MOSCOW, Sep 26 (PRIME) -- Russia should gradually reduce a duty-free threshold for foreign online orders to zero to ensure equal conditions for the Russian and foreign business, Timur Maksimov, deputy head of the Federal Customs Service, told PRIME in an interview released Wednesday.

“We proposed to take zero as the final point for commercial turnover, that is, when the store sells directly to an individual,” he said.

At present, Russians can purchase for up to 1,000 euros per month and up to 31 kilograms at foreign online stores without paying any duties, and extra carries a 30% duty.

Russia’s partners in the Eurasian Economic Union – Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan – agreed to gradually decrease the duty-free threshold: to 500 euros from 2019 and to 200 euros from 2020. The Russian Finance Ministry earlier offered to reduce the threshold to 500 euros from July of this year, but the government has not made such decision yet.

Maksimov also proposed to reduce the duty to 20% from 30%.

“The main task is to create equal conditions for Russian and cross-border Internet trade, otherwise it would be easier and more profitable for Russian companies to work on the model of foreign Internet sites. Our proposal was designed to correct existing imbalances,” he said.

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