ASTANA, 18 November – IA Novosty – Kazakhstan. Astana is in talks with Moscow on the abolition of car recycling tax. If no agreement is reached, Kazakhstan will have to apply retaliatory measures against imports of Russian cars, Minister for Economic Integration of the Republic, Zhanar Aytzhanova said at the “government hour” in the Majilis.
“Russia after the entry into the WTO introduced a recycling tax for imported cars. The procedure contradicts WTO rules. Now, as far as I know, there is a dispute in the WTO, which was initiated by the EU and Japan, who are interested in expanding imports into the territory of the Customs Union”, Aytzhanova said.
According to her words, now for the Russian automotive industry – one of the priority sectors of the economy. In Kazakhstan, as she says, currently we have 19,000 cars are being produced. At the moment of creation of CU we produced 1,000 pcs.. Production of buses and trucks is also restored in the country.
“Of course, our new (car) companies are focused on the market of the Customs Union”, the minister said.
“We are currently negotiating with Russia. We are asking them not to apply this recycling tax to our future export. Otherwise Kazakhstan will have to apply retaliatory measures against imports of Russian cars on our territory,” the minister summed up.
Aytzhanova believes that the introduction of the recycling ctax from the Kazakhstan side is a “very sensitive issue.”
“If we introduce recycling tax in the form in which it is introduced in the Russian Federation, we will suspend negotiating on joining the WTO,” she said.
For its part, the Vice-Minister of Industry and New Technologies, Albert Rau said that “to date, all the researches and suggestions for the development of systems on car recycling have been performed.”
“Currently, we are discussing two scenarios: the tax payable budget, as in Russia, not just recycling tax but completely disposal system, which should make, roughly speaking, the owners, when they do not pass inspection, be obliged to dispose it, or pay this tax to the budget. Or create a self-regulatory organization, as is done in some European countries”, Rau said, adding that the job could be performed by the national Chamber of entrepreneurs.
Source: IA Novosti – Kazakhstan
