From April, the countries of the Eurasian Economic Union will begin to apply a unified risk management system (RMS), the purpose of which is to clear gray imports. Russian media reported.
Vedomosti media outlet commented on this document and believes that imported cars may increase in price due to the fact that fiscal services will pay closer attention to the origin of imported cars, trace the entire chain from the manufacturer to the seller and eventually the buyer.
«If the system does not trace the origin of the car (place of production, point of import into the EAEU), it means it was imported either without paying customs duties or with underpayment. If a car was imported into the EAEU territory through the border of Kyrgyzstan by a legal entity, the car was cleared through customs at a preferential rate, and then ended up in the ownership of a natural person in Russia, then there is clearly a scheme with underpayment of customs duties,» Maxim Kadakov, a car blogger, commented.
The Russian expert reminds that it was Russia that initiated the introduction of the RMS. The EAEU countries accounted for up to 20 percent of all imports of new passenger cars in Russia in 2023. For the residents of Kyrgyzstan, whose share in imports amounted to 6 percent (the share of Belarus is only 2 percent), ferrying cars from Europe is a successful business under the sanctions. But various gray schemes are traced, as in the above example, and the Russian treasury receives less taxes.
«If a new Land Cruiser with a declared customs value of $20,000 is imported through Kyrgyzstan, it is obvious that a sharply reduced customs duty is paid. But neighboring republics live on this. It is good for everyone: suppliers, customs officers, resellers, transporters, logisticians. And it’s good for the local treasury, since the money stays in the local budget,» Kadakov says.
It is logical that import transparency will remove gray dealers from the market and make buyers think that government agencies may come to them and demand return of lost profits. The document stipulates that customs authorities will be able to charge additional customs duties for cars imported from third countries using privileges.
