Vladimir Grigoriev: difficulties with destination based VAT not lifted

Difficulties, connected with the transition to the destination based VAT principle in the Belarusian-Russian trade, have not been lifted yet, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Belarus to the Russian Federation Vladimir Grigoriev told a news briefing.

According to the diplomat, the reason behind this is untimely actions on the part of the tax agencies of both the states in regard to implementation of measures to fulfill the intergovernmental agreement on a new order of levying of indirect taxes. In a bid to improve the situation the tax agencies of Belarus and Russia are working out a single instruction to be applied to all economy entities, Vladimir Grigoriev said.

The diplomat said that the working visits of Belarusian premier Sergei Sidorskiy to Samara and Ulianovsk oblasts of Russia this December would focus on the issues of intensification of trade and economic cooperation. The joint sitting of the governments of Belarus and Russia on December 20 will highlight the same issues. Moreover in December Vladimir Grigoriev intends to visit Murmansk, Kaliningrad, St. Petersburg, Surgut, Nizhnevartovsk and a number other Russian towns to discuss the possibilities of enhancing the Belarusian export.