Russia: On October 29, the interdepartmental working group of the RF Ministry of Economic Development and Commerce approved the tariff rate of five percent for imported brewing equipment on a permanent basis. This decision was a result of application of the Union of Russian Brewers to the RF Ministry of Economic Development and Commerce with a request to lower the tariff rate on a permanent basis, The press-service of the Union of Russian Brewers announced on October 29.

This tariff concession is applied to equipment for bottling, pressurized canning, capping, labeling of bottles and cans with capacity of 30,000 bottles or cans per hour, pallet-packing with polymer film with capacity of 70 pallets per hour, equipment for multiple packing with shrinkable material with capacity not less than 30 packing units.

For the first time a tariff concession for brewing equipment was introduced in the beginning of the current year. Decree of the Russian Federation Government #98 dated February 21, 2004 "On introduction to the Customs Tariff of the Russian Federation" reduced the duty rate for imported brewing equipment, not produced in Russia, from 10 to 5%. Due to the fact that that duration of this Decree expires, the Union of Russian Brewers applied to the RF Ministry of Economic Development and Commerce with a request to lower the tariff rate on a permanent basis.

In the nearest future, the RF Government, according to results of meetings of the Working Group, will adopt the appropriate decree. The national brewing belongs to the most import-depending industries of the Russian economy. Currently, up to 80% of equipment is supplied from abroad.

03 November, 2004