The head of Frank Auto spoke about the reasons
The possibility of closing the car supply channel to Russia through Belarus was reported by the automobile publication naavtotrasse.ru with reference to a comment by Irina Frank, managing director of the automobile company Frank Auto.
Before this, many imported cars from the territory of Belarus, as it was convenient and profitable: «In the neighboring country there is a decree according to which privileged categories of citizens can receive a 50% discount on customs duties upon import to the country of a car for personal use».
But in fact «gray» dealers and resellers also actively used this opportunity: «To prevent this from happening again, the Belarusian authorities decided to shut down this scheme. Already, the customs authorities of the two countries are testing a system for exchanging data on imported cars».
Now the amount of duties paid after registering the car with the traffic police will be verified. If the information does not match, the car owner will be required to pay the difference from the reduced rate to the full rate. The difference between rates can reach 2,700 euros for a car older than three years. In most cases, this amount cancels out the entire benefit.
«It is likely that after the start of the new data exchange system, the Belarusian channel for the supply of cars to Russia will become unprofitable, and they will simply stop using it», — added Irina Frank.