Recently, the federal government has been actively discussing the issue of reducing the limit on duty-free purchases in foreign online stores and the import of duty-free products from the current 1,000 to 200 euros. They say this stimulates the development of national producers and trade. What does the expert community think about this? Today, the All-Russian Center for the Study of Public Opinion (VTsIOM) presented an extensive report based on the results of a telephone survey and interviews with representatives of business, the scientific community and government authorities. In short, 68% of those surveyed oppose the changes.
THE AVAILABILITY OF GOODS HAS DECREASED EVERY THIRD
First, let’s present some figures that show the general situation of the industry. Almost half (44%) of online store users order products from abroad. In addition, 14% of users in the Russian market order products worth more than 20,000 rubles (equivalent to 200 euros) for delivery from abroad.
40% of Russians consider that their financial situation is deteriorating and 72% of respondents expect an increase in prices for goods and services in the next 1-2 months. 62% of Russians believe that not all goods are available to them. Russians feel the greatest shortage of accessories and components for gadgets and cars (32%), household appliances and electronics (27%), as well as shoes and clothing (20%).
31% of those surveyed indicate that in the last two years the availability of their usual products has decreased. To compensate for this, 32% of Russians buy products that are available “here and now”, 29% use services and markets with delivery of products from abroad, 25% are looking for analogues in other regions of Russia.
RATES WILL VIRTUALLY NOT INCREASE
Now let’s talk about what people think about the reduction of the duty-free limit from the current 1,000 to 200 euros that is being discussed in the federal government. 68% of respondents support the opinion that maintaining the tax-free threshold at the current level will help Russians in a difficult period after the departure of Western brands and services. Among users of markets that deliver products from abroad, this figure is higher: 77%. 38% of respondents believe that lowering the threshold will make the situation worse for Russian buyers. Among those who made purchases of more than 200 euros during the last year, this proportion is significantly higher: 68%.
If the threshold for duty-free import is lowered to 200 euros, 32% of Russians who made expensive purchases over the past year will order less, and 26% of those users will have to abandon such purchases altogether.
Experts believe that if the duty-free import threshold is reduced to 200 euros, the amount of contributions to the federal budget will be a small part (estimated at 0.002% of the 2024 budget), and the resources spent by the Federal Service of Customs in The administration of collection processes will increase significantly.
FROM ABROAD 20% CHEAPER
The leader in the category of expensive purchases (more than 20 thousand rubles, which is equivalent to 200 euros) are household appliances and electronics: 51% of respondents buy them. The second most popular place among respondents who made purchases worth more than 20 thousand rubles is occupied by the category of accessories and components for devices for cars (40%).
Russians choose to buy with delivery from abroad for the following reasons: better price (59% of respondents), products not available in their localities and in Russia (43%), greater variety of products (34%)
Despite the small share of expensive goods, experts note that it is important for Russians to have access to them, since in most cases these are rare or unique goods that retailers do not import into Russia. It is also important that these products cost 20% less when ordered from abroad.
Most experts believe that lowering the threshold for duty-free import of goods to 200 euros is now untimely, as this will lead to higher prices, higher inflation rates and limit Russians’ access to rare goods.
Business representatives emphasize that lowering the threshold for duty-free import of goods will lead to a decrease in the number of orders from Russians, which will be followed by a reduction in personnel (including logistics and customs operators) and, accordingly, a decrease. in tax contributions to the budget.
A reasonable question arises: is the skin worth the price?
