The Ministry of Finance has proposed taxing cross-border online purchases with VAT at the standard rate of 22% and introducing a customs fee of 100 rubles for parcels worth up to 200 euros. The bill was submitted to the government on September 24, Kommersant reports. Electronic trading platforms will be responsible for paying the tax.
Currently, VAT is not levied on foreign goods purchased through online platforms. The measure, according to the Ministry of Finance, will level the playing field for market participants and continue the 'whitening' of the economy. For a product costing 10,000 rubles, VAT alone will amount to 2,200 rubles, and with the fee, the total amount of additional payments will reach 2,300 rubles.
For the buyer, this means an increase in prices for overseas orders; for Russian sellers, it means a weakening of competition from foreign platforms. The 100 ruble fee, against the backdrop of 2,200 rubles in VAT, looks more like a fiscal ritual than a real barrier. The Ministry of Finance insists: without leveling tax conditions, the domestic market loses out to cross-border trade. The final calculation mechanism will depend on the form in which the norms are adopted.