The bill abolishing the duty-free regime in Moldova to be discussed in the course of public consultations on October, 11.
The press service of the parliament said this, noting that the draft amendments to the Customs Code, the Tax Code and the Law on Customs Tariff, providing for abolition of the duty-free regime, would be presented for public discussions. The event is organized by the Commission on Economy, Budget and Finance and will be held in the parliament on October 11. The profile commission invites all interested persons to send their recommendations on the proposed draft law in written form, including to e-mail: ceb@parlament.md, and for further information, they may contact the commission's representatives by phone: (022) 820 522, (022) 820 525. The consultations are organized in line with the Regulations of the Parliament of Moldova to ensure transparency of the legislative process. As InfoMarket Agency previously reported, a draft law providing for abolishment of duty-free regime in Moldova was adopted by the Parliament in the first reading on September 30. Its main goal is to promote the principle of tax justice by applying taxes to the goods sold on the territory of the country, including those in the trading units located in the customs zones. Particularly, according to the bill, starting from October 1, Moldova will stop issuing new licenses for duty-free stores, bars and restaurants and from September 4, 2023 the duty-free regime will be completely abolished. The existing trade enterprises operating in the duty-free trade regime after the expiration of the duty-free licenses will be able to operate only with the payment of all taxes. According to Dumitru Alaiba, chairman of the Commission on Economy, Budget and Finance and one of the authors of the project, the initiative is aimed at ensuring fairness for all entrepreneurs in terms of taxation, providing the state budget with new sources of income, as well as to prevent the risks of smuggling and organized crime. "In 2023, we will have to protect citizens, thousands of businesses, and this is additional investment and resources in the state budget, which must be identified and used effectively," said Dumitru Alaiba. The explanatory note to the draft states that for the 6 months of 2022, tax benefits within the duty-free regime exceeded 1 billion lei (VAT, excise tax and customs duties), and in 2022, these benefits will total 2 billion lei. In pre-pandemic years, this figure reached 4 billion lei per year. At the same time, it is pointed out that the duty-free stores are a significant source of smuggling, first of all, of cigarettes and alcoholic beverages. // 07.10.2022 – InfoMarket
