The government will limit the list of companies delivering goods from foreign online stores

The Ministry of Finance in the framework of the experiment tightens the rules of international online commerce. Now only specially approved operators will be able to deliver parcels from abroad to individuals. Apparently, such an operator will be exactly one.

Just two months ago, we compiled a chronology of the brave struggle of the government with foreign online purchases. What are just crazy proposals were not put forward by different ministries. Restrict all purchases to 22 euros, selectively punish undesirable foreign online stores, impose a 20-30% tax on electronics and so on. Fortunately, all these proposals have stalled at one stage or another. But last night a new project from the Ministry of Finance appeared on the website of the Ministry of Economic Development. For us personally - the most unexpected. And this law, unfortunately, will be accepted for sure.

The document was signed by the Minister of Finance A.G. Siluanov. It involves the "improvement of the administration" of all goods for personal use, bought by individuals outside the Russian Federation. In essence, they are supposed to create a special category of companies - “authorized operators” who can import such goods. The rest of this opportunity will be taken away.

The status of an authorized operator can be obtained by a company that fulfills six government requirements:

1. Will submit a written application asking for inclusion in the list of authorized operators. (Easy peasy!)
2. At least two years in the register of customs representatives, has experience in declaring goods imported for personal use, and within 12 months filled out at least 2500 customs declarations. (2500 deliveries per year is not enough. Almost all mail forwarders are suitable for such requirements).
3. Has no outstanding criminal convictions, debts, obligations to pay an administrative fine, facts of non-payment of taxes, is not in the process of liquidation and so forth. (Quite reasonable requirements: why give the company the status of an operator if it is barely standing still now).
4. It has its own information system compatible with the UAIS of the customs authorities in order to transmit customer personal data and information about the packages. (This is already the case with all mail forwarders).
5. Leases or owns warehouses for temporary storage of goods. (And how else to receive and send parcels?)
6. It will provide the enforcement of the duties of a legal entity carrying out activities in the field of customs, in an amount equivalent to 1.5 million euros. (Oops)

The first five points seem to be drawn up just for show. All shipping companies that do not sit somewhere in a friend's apartment and do not accept orders on the forums are suitable for them. But the last item actually falls under one “Russian Post”. No one else has the strength to painlessly give € 1.5 million to the government as collateral. Personally, we physically cannot take such a step: it is more than the company's profit in a few years. Even if someone from mailforwarders and small delivery services decides to “pay off”, the commission from each parcel will have to be increased several times. Instead of $ 3 will be $ 15, roughly speaking. Mailforwarders will lose all their advantage. And the "Mail of Russia" on the price of delivery is not reflected almost no way.

Another moment that alerted us. If the customs authority establishes the facts of an inaccurate declaration of, say, the TIN or the year of birth of the individuals to whom the goods are delivered, the company may lose the status of an authorized operator. Recovery is possible not earlier than after 12 months, and with an additional security of 500,000 euros. We regularly face the fact that people incorrectly provide their data. Some accidentally, others specifically, trying to buy something abroad from stolen cards or go beyond the customs limit of € 1000 without paying a fee. We reveal such situations, but sometimes something can slip through, this also happened. And in this case, our company will be banned from working for 12 months and we will have to pay € 500,000. Great.

Astronomical sums for the "enforcement of duties" require not just like that. The government expects that if a duty is required from the goods, it will simply be automatically deducted from these reserved funds from the personal account of the authorized operator. Conveniently! And let him then deal with an individual who ordered goods for more than € 1,000 per month. If he refuses to pay, he will be able to return the money, and send the goods back to the sender, and the amount spent to pay the fee will be returned to the company's account.

Everything seems to be thought out, but why reserve a specific amount, € 1.5 million? It would be more logical to demand an amount corresponding to the number of deliveries of the company. Personally, our users very rarely cross the limit of € 1000. Under 90% of orders - up to € 200: clothes, shoes, things for children. We could give “at the mercy of” € 15,000, and that would be enough for a year. But in accordance with the current project, we will have to “postpone” at the level of “Post of Russia”. And if someone incorrectly indicates the TIN, and we miss it, can the company be closed?

Also quite critical is the fact that “a legal entity may be a legal entity of the Russian Federation”. Pochtoy.com is registered in Pittsburgh and is a US tax resident. The same can be said about many other services for sending goods from foreign stores with their own warehouses in America or China.

The interaction of authorized operators of international electronic commerce and the Federal Customs Service (FCS) will be tested from May 15 to December 31, 2018. For courier companies, the experiment will take place throughout the country, and for the Post of Russia - in the place of international postal exchange in the Vnukovo airport area, follows from the draft order of the Ministry of Finance.

The representative of the Post of Russia, Sergei Kolyada, confirmed to Kommersant the organization’s plans to participate in the experiment and the intention to obtain the status of an authorized operator.

The development of new rules for cross-border e-commerce and the FCS is involved. “By analogy with the authorized economic operators in the EAEU, the same scheme should be introduced for online trading. This will provide new business opportunities and will be convenient for our citizens, ”said the first deputy head of the Federal Customs Service, Ruslan Davydov.

We are talking about revolutionary changes in the field of data collection and their administration, states one expert: "The experiment allows you to kill two birds with one stone: remove the lion's share of the FCS administration and improve discipline when declaring goods."

The law will not lead to a reduction of participants in the international e-commerce market, the Ministry of Finance assured.

An extended version of the bill can be read here (carefully, rtf-file).

In the meantime, we still deliver to Russia any online purchases from the States - from $ 8.99 per 0.5 kg. All users who register at Pochtoy.com and enter the promotional code GEEKTIMES, receive $ 7 to the account. So far, overseas purchases remain very profitable, even for clothing and low-cost consumer products, not to mention gadgets. In May 2018 this may change.