Belarus Imposes No Duties on Imports of Petroleum Products from Customs Union

The Ministry of Taxes and Levies (MTL) of Belarus has denied the information that January 1, Minsk imposes customs duties on imports of petrol, diesel and domestic fuel from the Customs Union (CU). "No levying of duties in mutual trade with the Customs Union can be made within a single customs territory of the Customs Union," reported the MTL.

The ministry noted that the legal entities and individual entrepreneurs, engaged in import of gasoline, diesel and domestic fuel of all types in vehicles into the territory of Belarus, are required to pay for it in the national budget. This is stated in the Decree No. 9 "On Additional Measures to Combat Illegal Turnover of Liquid Fuel Oil in the Republic of Belarus" of 2005, BelTA informs.

Cash payments are made with acquisition of control symbols for marking the supporting documents on the oil fuel imported into the territory of Belarus by road from countries with abolished customs control and customs clearance. As stated in the MTL, it allows controlling the legality of the importation of petroleum liquid fuel. Paid monetary resources are to be offset against tax liabilities unsettled, future payments to the national budget and the funds to be included as a condition for the import of the next party of fuel. They can also be returned to the payer's account after the import of petroleum liquid fuel.

The government has authorized the MTL in coordination with the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Economy and Belneftekhim to approve the procedure for depositing money in the budget. December 16, 2011, the MTL adopted a resolution No. 57, which entered into force on January 1, 2012. According to the document, depositing is now regulated by the decision of a single ministry (the MTL), rather than two (the MTL and the Treasury), as it used to be prior to January 1, 2012.

The amount of money for the budget is still determined depending on the type and amount of petroleum fuel, based on 0.5 excise rates to 1 ton of the relevant type of fuel. When importing the same fuel for personal usage, the reduction factor is not considered in the calculations for budget depositing.

Failure of legal entities and individual entrepreneurs to bring in money entails the penalty in the amount of 100-200 base units with confiscation (or without) of fuel or the proceeds from its implementation regardless of the ownership.

As Telegraf previously reported, January 1, 2012, Belarus reduced duties on petroleum products. According to the decree of Council of Ministers of December 28, 2011, the oil export duty will be reduced by 2.2% - from $406.6 to $397.5 per ton of oil.

Flat rate of export duty on light and heavy oil (except gasoline), which was unified at 66% of the oil duty on October 1, will be equal to $262.3 dollars per ton since early 2012. It used to be $268.3.