The Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation supported the reduction of the threshold for duty-free online purchases – Kommersant

The Russian Ministry of Finance did not support the proposal to maintain the ceiling for duty-free import of goods for personal use at the level of €1,000 (99,570 rubles at the Central Bank exchange rate). The newspaper reported this “Vedomosti” with reference to letters from the Ministry of Finance sent in mid-February to the Russian marketplaces Yandex Market and Ozon.

According to a representative of the Ministry of Finance, the final decision on the ceiling for duty-free import of goods will be made by the government. On February 7, an interdepartmental meeting was held on the size of the limit on duty-free purchases for the month. The Ministry of Industry and Trade told Vedomosti that the decision on the ceiling is still being discussed, including with the business community.

The Federal Customs Service noted that duty-free import standards were approved at the level of the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) and their adjustment requires a decision from all members of the Eurasian Economic Union. The EEC representative stated that there had been no request from Russia regarding the need to extend the limit at the same level.

Since January 2020, the threshold was set at €200, and in 2022 the EEC decided to return it to €1,000. In 2024, the ceiling should drop to the original €200. The Ministry of Finance considers it inappropriate to extend the current ceiling level, while Ozon said that the reduction will lead to a significant increase in the price of popular goods, including electronics.

According to a survey by VTsIOM, almost half of the Russians surveyed believe that reducing the current limit of €1 thousand for duty-free import of goods ordered on foreign marketplaces to €200 will have a negative impact on consumers. Large Russian Internet platforms also oppose lowering the threshold, since cross-border trade helps keep prices from rising and preserve choice for buyers.

Read more in the Kommersant article. “Marketplaces are getting knocked down”.

Lusine Balasyan