15 AUG 97
FM AMEMBASSY MINSK
INTERNATIONAL COPYRIGHT, U.S. AND FOREIGN COMMERCIAL SERVICE AND U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE, 1997. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED OUTSIDE OF THE UNITED STATES.
1. SUMMARY. THE GOVERNMENT OF BELARUS HAS TIGHTENED ITS CUSTOMS REGULATIONS. IN A MOVE APPARENTLY AIMED AT INDIVIDUAL TRADERS, EFFECTIVE AUGUST 18, PERSONAL BELONGINGS ACCOMPANYING AN INDIVIDUAL CROSSING THE BELARUSIAN BORDER WILL BE SUBJECT TO A 30 PERCENT TARIFF, IF THE TOTAL COST OF THE BELONGINGS EXCEEDS USD 1,000. IN ADDITION, PERSONAL BELONGINGS TOTALLING LESS THAN $1,000 WILL NEVERTHELESS BE SUBJECT TO THIS CUSTOMS TARIFF, IF THEIR NATURE, QUANTITY, OR FREQUENCY OF ENTRY INTO THE COUNTRY GIVE GROUNDS TO BELIEVE THAT THEY WILL BE USED FOR COMMERCIAL PURPOSES. FINAT.LY. THE CUSTOMS REGULATIONS APPLICABLE TO AUTOMOBILES BROUGHT INTO BELARUS HAVE BEEN TIGHTENED. END SUMMARY.
2. THIS PARTICULAR MEASURE IS APPARENTLY INTENDED TO MAKE NUMEROUS SMALL TRADERS, KNOWN AS "CHELNOKS" ("SHUTTLES"), PAY CUSTOMS DUTIES. "CHELNOK" IS A COLLOQUIAL TERM FOR AN INDIVIDUAL VENDOR WHO, UNDER THE GUISE OF INDIVIDUAL TOURISM, GOES BACK AND FORTH FROM COUNTRIES LIKE POLAND, TURKEY, CHINA AND SOME OTHERS, FOR THE PURPOSE OF BUYING AND SELLING PRODUCTS. THE EXACT VOLUME OF CHELNOK SALES IN THE BELARUSIAN MARKET IS UNKNOWN, BUT SUCH SALES MAKE UP . A SIGNIFICANT PERCENTAGE OF THE TOTAL SALES OF CONSUMER GOODS, AS DEMONSTRATED BY THE LARGE NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS SELLING CONSUMER ITEMS FROM ABROAD ON STREET CORNERS THROUGHOUT BELARUS.
3. EVEN THOUGH CHELNOK BUSINESSES EMPLOY THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WHO WOULD OTHERWISE LIKELY BE OUT OF WORK, THE GOB IS HARSHLY CRITICAL, CLAIMING THAT CHELNOKS UNDERMINE THE MARKET FOR LOCAL PRODUCTS. (NOTE. THE CHELNOKS GENERALLY OFFER GOODS OF SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER QUALITY AND LOWER PRICE THAN THE STATE-OWNED STORES. END NOTE.)
4. THIS SAME MEASURE ALSO INTRODUCES "GUARANTEED" CUSTOMS PAYMENTS THAT MUST BE MADE BY CHELNOKS SELLING SECOND-HAND CARS. IN THE PAST, CHELNOKS WERE REQUIRED TO PAY CUSTOMS TARIFF AFTER BRINGING A CAR INTO BELARUS. STARTING AUGUST 18, THEY WILL BE REQUIRED TO PAY THIS TARIFF EVEN BEFORE GOING ABROAD TO BUY A CAR. IF NO CAR IS BOUGHT, THE PAYMENT IS REIMBURSED. THE PAYMENT SCHEDULE IS:
--FOR UP TO THREE-YEAR OLD CARS - 1 ECU PER CUBIC CENTIMETER;
--FOR CARS OLDER THAN THREE YEARS - 0.3 ECU PER CUBIC CENTIMETER.
(NOTE. THUS, FOR A TYPICAL SMALLISH CAR OF APPROXIMATELY 2,000 CM, THE PRE-PAID CUSTOMS DUTY WOULD BE A SIGNIFICANT SUM -- EITHER 2,000 ECU OR 600 ECU, DEPENDING ON THE AGE OF THE CAR. END NOTE.)
5. THE GOB HAS OPENLY SAID THAT IT PLANS TO DECREASE THE AMOUNT OF IMPORTS, PARTICULARLY OF IMPORTS THAT COMPETE WITH BELARUSIAN MANUFACTURERS. THIS NEW MEASURE IS CERTAINLY CONSISTENT WITH THAT GOAL.
This report is provided courtesy of the Business Information Service for the Newly Independent States (BISNIS)