05.12.2013
Belarus ratifies documents on highway service with Kazakhstan and Finland
MINSK, 5 December (BelTA) – The House of Representatives of Belarus has ratified two documents on highway service with other countries on 5 December, BelTA has learnt.
The first document is a protocol on introducing amendments to Belarus-Kazakhstan intergovernmental agreement on international highway service as of 19 January 2004; the second one is the Belarus-Finland intergovernmental agreement on introducing amendments to the agreement on international highway service as of 24 June 1997.
The amendments to the first document were necessitated by the increased road haulage both within the SES and to/from the SES. As a result, Belarusian carriers needed more permits from Kazakhstan. The suggestion of the Belarusian Transport and Communications Ministry on increasing the number of permits for international road haulage was not upheld by Kazakhstan, because the number of trips made by Kazakhstan carriers to Belarus reduced. The restricted number of permits and the very system of permits impede the development of the promising road haulage route from Belarus and Kazakhstan towards Western Europe and Western China. The protocol aims to abolish the system of permits. The transport chiefs of Belarus and Kazakhstan signed the document on 25 April 2013.
The amendments to the Belarus-Finland agreement seek to remove the issues that prevent Belarusian carriers from transporting cargo to/from Finland and Sweden. There is a transportation tax in Finland that is levied on all vehicles registered outside Finland and fueled by any fuel other than motor gasoline. The same tax is levied on truck trailers. The amount of the tax depends on the number of days spent by a vehicle in Finland. There is also an additional tax that depends on the mileage.
The amendments to the 1997 agreement will exempt Belarusian and Finnish carriers from paying taxes, dues and other payments, with the exception of toll road fees. The document will also reduce the gross permissible vehicle weight that does not require a permit, from six tonnes to 3.5 tonnes.
The first document is a protocol on introducing amendments to Belarus-Kazakhstan intergovernmental agreement on international highway service as of 19 January 2004; the second one is the Belarus-Finland intergovernmental agreement on introducing amendments to the agreement on international highway service as of 24 June 1997.
The amendments to the first document were necessitated by the increased road haulage both within the SES and to/from the SES. As a result, Belarusian carriers needed more permits from Kazakhstan. The suggestion of the Belarusian Transport and Communications Ministry on increasing the number of permits for international road haulage was not upheld by Kazakhstan, because the number of trips made by Kazakhstan carriers to Belarus reduced. The restricted number of permits and the very system of permits impede the development of the promising road haulage route from Belarus and Kazakhstan towards Western Europe and Western China. The protocol aims to abolish the system of permits. The transport chiefs of Belarus and Kazakhstan signed the document on 25 April 2013.
The amendments to the Belarus-Finland agreement seek to remove the issues that prevent Belarusian carriers from transporting cargo to/from Finland and Sweden. There is a transportation tax in Finland that is levied on all vehicles registered outside Finland and fueled by any fuel other than motor gasoline. The same tax is levied on truck trailers. The amount of the tax depends on the number of days spent by a vehicle in Finland. There is also an additional tax that depends on the mileage.
The amendments to the 1997 agreement will exempt Belarusian and Finnish carriers from paying taxes, dues and other payments, with the exception of toll road fees. The document will also reduce the gross permissible vehicle weight that does not require a permit, from six tonnes to 3.5 tonnes.