“The gap is closing.” Putin is reaching into the pockets of his own citizens again. Now he is targeting goods from Western brands
In spring 2022, Russia introduced tariffs ranging from 20 to 50 percent. for goods from “unfriendly” countries. However, business has found a way around them. — Some dishonest importers avoid paying customs duties, for example by moving production to friendly countries or simply sending goods from there, noted Alexander Demin, chairman of the State Duma's committee on small and medium-sized enterprises.
— Nowadays, say, clothing from France becomes Serbian or Chinese, and finishing tiles from Italy becomes Turkish, but apparently this gap is now closing – explains an employee of a large company dealing in foreign trade.
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In response to this type of practice, the Ministry of Industry and Trade is developing a new initiative. — It assumes that during customs clearance, in addition to the country of production, the beneficiary of the rights to the trademark under which the goods are produced will be taken into account, said the head of the ministry, Anton Alikhanov, to deputies. According to him, this issue will be dealt with by the working group on customs and tariff measures of the subcommittee, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Aleksander Nowak.
Another wave of price increases
The minister is convinced that this idea is technically feasible. — For our part, we do not see any serious obstacles here, but we will need the opinion of our colleagues from Rospatent [Federalnej Służby ds. Własności Intelektualnej] and FTS [Federalnej Służby Podatkowej]. They will be the ones to administer it. Some nuances may have to be taken into account, but we are ready and the working group will address this issue in the near future, Alikhanov said.
If the initiative is adopted, Russian consumers will face another wave of price increasesimporters claim. Currently, increased customs duties of 20-50 percent. they cover dozens of types of goods – from beer, perfumes and coats to metallurgical products, batteries, car trailers and rollers.
Importers complain that this list can be changed at any time with virtually no restrictions. The tariffs are introduced by government regulations, the latest of which were issued on September 5: margarine, bananas, nuts and some types of natural water were added to the list.
The Russian authorities have seriously started supplying Western goods to Russia in order to repair the budget, the “hole” of which – according to the estimates of the Ministry of Finance – will amount to 5.7 trillion rubles (PLN 266 billion) this year. From March 2026, small and medium-sized enterprises trading imported goods on marketplaces will have to pay VAT.
