Kazakhs parliament ratifies EAEU protocol for declaration of online purchases from abroadThe Senate, the upper house of Kazakhstan’s parliament, adopted Thursday the Law on the Ratification of the Protocol of Amendments to the Agreement on the Customs Code of the Eurasian Economic Union Dated April 11, 2017.The bill was previous approved by the lower house, the Majilis, and will now be sent to the president of Kazakhstan for signature.The Protocol, signed in St. Petersburg on December 25, 2023, creates a separate category for "e-commerce goods." These are items shipped in international mail from online platforms based in third countries to individual recipients. Currently, such goods are classified as for personal use.The agreement also introduces the concept of an "e-commerce operator." This entity will manage the logistics for goods bought by individuals online, interact with the platforms and customs authorities, and handle customs declaration and storage processes.The document also establishes a new type of customs declaration, the e-commerce declaration."Goods purchased on foreign online platforms are classified as for personal use and are currently subject to declaration only when over the limits for duty-free imports. However, such purchases are not reflected in official statistics, as they are not categorized as trade transactions. Declaration of the entire volume of e-commerce goods will make it possible to form complete statistics on goods purchased on foreign online platforms," Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Economy Serik Zhumangarin said earlier.Currently, goods for personal use are only declared if they exceed the duty-free import allowance of 200 euros or 31 kilograms. Because they are not considered part of formal trade, they are excluded from official statistics.Zhumangarin stated that operators will assume all risks, handling returns and filling out declarations. Either the operator or the buyer will be able to declare the received goods.He acknowledged that the new amendments could lead to a 2% increase in prices."Currently, if the 200-euro or 31-kg limit is exceeded, you pay a total customs payment of 15%. Under the new rules, the online shop will pay VAT and you will pay a 5% duty. In total, it will be 17%. The difference is 2%," Zhumangarin said.-- (ICE ALMATY)

Fonte notizia: INTERFAX