A number of major Russian electronics manufacturers are asking the Ministry of Digital Development to take a number of measures to support domestic production. In December 2023, the government extended until the end of 2024 the simplified procedure for importing equipment, radios and microcircuits. It concerns computers, smartphones and other equipment that has the ability to encrypt and record data. But now business is proposing to ban parallel imports of such equipment completely.
According to Vedomosti, such a letter was sent to the Ministry of Digital Development by representatives of the ANO "Computing Technology" consortium, which includes Aquarius, Yadro, Depo and other companies. The business publication reviewed this document, and notes: excluding all smartphones, tablets, laptops and foreign brands from the list of goods for parallel imports into Russia is not the only idea for promoting domestic electronics.
Thus, the authors of the letter remind representatives of the Ministry of Digital Development about the draft law under the working title "Russian Shelf", which is still under development. It is assumed that when it is adopted, all online stores will be obliged to create a "Russian shelf" for the development of domestic production and strengthening the economy. The first 50 product cards in the search results should be given to Russian brands, and owned by Russian citizens. The Ministry of Industry and Trade on this project planned to oblige electronics stores to allocate a mandatory "Russian shelf". ANO "Computing Technology" proposes to introduce mandatory quotas for goods from domestic vendors under this bill.
They also propose to finally introduce excise taxes in Russia on imported equipment and the recycling fee for imported smartphones, tablets, video cameras, and printed circuit boards, which has been discussed since the beginning of 2023. The consortium believes that part of this fee and excise taxes should be distributed among domestic manufacturers. But not among all, but only some "upon reaching certain sales volumes of products."
Finally, the Ministry of Digital Development is asked to help support a "positive image of domestic equipment" on federal channels, and in the media in general. "Budget co-financing tools for marketing programs to promote domestic equipment in the B2C segment" are proposed as a measure to popularize domestic equipment. In other words, preferential loans for federal networks and other distributors of Russian conditional computers or smartphones.
So far, these initiatives are only being considered by the Ministry of Digital Development. But in another department related to the development of domestic electronics, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, they are already thinking about restricting the import of such products from abroad.
According to Vedomosti, on February 29, 2024, the ministry sent a letter to major associations and state corporations, in particular, Rostec and Roscosmos, as well as ANO "Computing Technology", asking them to provide data on the current production volumes of radio-electronic products and the potential of the market. The reason is that the possible increase in import customs duties on such goods is being worked out.
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