​NAPS RECALLS LICENSE FROM TRANSNISTRIAN DUTY-FREE TRADE COMPANY

The National Agency for Public Services recalled license on duty-free trade from the “Altai” company from Transnistria due to the non-fulfillment of licensing conditions.

According to these conditions, implied in the Customs Code, the goods allowed for trade in duty-free shops may be sold only in volumes designed for personal consumption and only in packages and amounts for retail trade.

The NAPS decision was brought to notice of the Prime Minister’s control service, the very economic agent, as well as the Information and Security Service, the Customs Service and the State Tax Service.

According to the NAPS, the “Altai” is not conducting its activity anymore, which was confirmed by the Customs Service. The firm must return the license not later than July 29.

As Infotag has already reported, last Friday the Moldovan Parliament prohibited the duty-free trade on the Transnistrian border, making proper amendments to the Tax Code.

According to Minister of Finance Natalia Gavrilita, by the beginning of June the duty-free shops on the Transnistrian border sold around 1 billion of cigarettes – approximately the same amount as the amount of cigarettes imported in Moldova over the first half-year.

“In fact, the sales volumes in three duty-free shops in the Transnistrian region are equal with the total volume of Moldova’s consumption market. Thus, this is a very important and urgent draft law, whose voting demanded 4 years [the document was registered in the parliament back in 2015]. Despite the insistence of foreign development partners, the provisions which provoke contraband and illegal income, used for financing certain interest groups, have not been cancelled yet”, she said.

Infotag’s dossier: The “Altai” company was registered in Camenca town and received the first license for trade in duty-free shops back in November 2015 for the period till May 29, 2016. In 2017, the firm engaged in retail and wholesale trade through a network of its supermarkets, entered the top ten largest taxpayers of Transnistria, paying over 40 million rubles (US$3 million) to the PMR budget. In total, the company had 5 shops at Transnistrian checkpoints.