Duty Free Shops to be Retained Only at the Airport for Servicing Diplomatic Missions :: Charter'97 :: News

In Belarus duty free shops are to be retained only at the “Minsk-2” airport for servicing diplomatic representations and missions. The decision is foreseen in the draft order of President, PRIME-TASS was informed by the source close to the Government. It is envisaged in the draft order to employ the fired staff of the duty free shops at the local trade enterprises for relaxation of the social tension.

At present the draft document has been submitted to the Administration of President of Belarus for consideration.

Thus, the authors of the bill returned to the first version of the document which foresaw closing down duty free shops (but for the shops at the international airport) because the State Control Committee checks revealed the wholesale schemes of illegal alcohol sales through duty free shops. Then changes were introduced into the bill. And its new version foresaw not closing down of these shops but enforced monitoring of the goods flow through them. For example, duty free labeling of all goods sold at the duty free shops was foreseen.

Later it was suggested to license this type of trade by means of granting licenses only to enterprises with a share owned by the state for prevention of illegal penetration of duty free goods to the local market. For joint –stock companies the state share of their capital was to be at least 25 % plus one share, for other economic units at least 50%.

According to the ministry of statistics of Belarus the import of hard alcohol beverages by duty free shops comprised 0.699 million to the amount of USD 24.221 million (75% of the total volume of this product import).