PRESS: Russian Post wants to slowly cut cross-border duty-free mark

MOSCOW, Oct 16 (PRIME) -- National postal operator Russian Post has suggested cutting down a duty-free threshold for imported goods from the currently applied 1,000 euros to 200 euros from 2019, 100 euros from 2020 and 50 euros from 2021, business daily Kommersant reported on Monday.

Russian Post offered the government to hold talks within the Eurasian Economic Union, which also comprises Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan, to set the single schedule of reducing the threshold for duty-free imports of goods.

The Association of Internet Trade Companies (AITC) earlier calculated that the volume of cross-border trade spiked 34% on the year to 178 billion rubles in January–June and will grow to 420 billion rubles as of the end of 2017, or 37% of the country’s e-commerce.

Russian Post said that 93% of parcels from abroad are below 50 euros. The postal operator’s General Director Nikolai Podguzov said that the threshold should not be cut rapidly, which could slow down the growth of cross-border e-commerce.

The suggestions will be tested by April 1, 2018, on AliExpress.com, where Russians make up to 80% of cross-border purchases.

(57.6196 rubles – U.S. $1)

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