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RF govt approves guidelines of customs, tariff policy in 2013-2015

Russia will build its customs and tariff policy on absolutely new political and economic terms in 2013

MOSCOW, May 2 (Itar-Tass) —— The Russian government has approved the guidelines of the country’s customs and tariff policy for 2013 and the planned period of 2014-2015, Russian Deputy Finance Minister Alexei Likhachev told reporters on Wednesday.

Russia will build its customs and tariff policy on absolutely new political and economic terms in 2013 and the planned period of 2014-2015 with due account of Russia’s entry in the World Trade Organization (WTO) and taking the measures of customs and tariff regulations according to the liabilities for the accession to the WTO, the Russian government reported in some materials. Russian tariff liabilities will be set according to the list of concessions and obligations on the commodities, which are included in the protocol of Russia’s accession in the WTO on December 16, 2011.

During the process to bring down the import duty rates on several positions the transition from combined to ad valorem or specific duty rate is envisaged, and the specific part of the combined duty rate will be reduced. This measure will mainly embrace such commodities, as live swine, meat by-products, dry and condensed milk and cream, rice and rice products, yeast, some chocolate products, raw sugar and other types of sugar (except for refined sugar), rolled ferrous metals, harvesters, trucks and cars.

The document holds that the combined nature of the import duty rate in 2013-2015 will restrict the manoeuvring in the customs and tariff regulations. To realize the priorities in the foreign trade policy of the Customs Union other instruments of regulations can be used that will stimulate the enlargement of the resource base of modernization, import substitution, a higher competiveness of enterprises and their produce that will provide for an efficient protection of domestic producers. In particular, special measures for the protection of the domestic market will be more needed, such efficient instruments as tariff quotas will be applied for a higher competiveness of domestic producers. In 2013-2015 the mechanism of tariff quotas will retain for the imports of meat and meat products.

It was earlier reported that the Russian government will retain the indexation of the tariffs of the natural monopolies not from January 1, but from July 1 that will result in a lower inflation rate, as the tariffs are growing not during the period of intensive consumption of the services of natural monopolies.

Russian Minister of Economic Development Andrei Klepach said earlier that the Russian government approved the indexation of the gas tariffs by 15% for 2013-2014 and within 14.6%-15% for 2015.

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