Belarus not to transfer Russia duties from oil products export

The arrangement covers only the year 2015.

Duties from the export of oil products produced from Russian oil will be paid to the Belarusian budget, Russian deputy PM Arkady Dvorkovich said on October 8, Riad Novosti reports.

“It was an arrangement that 1.5 billion [dollars] must be paid to the Belarusian budget and the rest must be paid to Russia, but we have agreed that all money will be paid to the Belarusian budget,” he said.

According to him, the arrangement is extended only to the year 2015. Dvorkovich confirmed that Russia planned to deliver 23 million tonnes of oil to Belarus next year.

In accordance with the agreements between the heads of state, Belarus received an opportunity in 2015 to keep $1.5bn of export duties out of around $4bn that the country annually pays to the Russian budget for the exported oil products produced from duty-free Russian oil.

Official Minsk raised a question of compensation for its losses, which are estimated at at least 1 billion dollars, due to Russia's tax maneuver that will raise oil prices and reduce export duties.