New customs tariffs and HSCs for Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan coming into force as of January 2012

On 1 January 2012 new customs legislative acts of the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan will come into force, reports http://www.megafishnet.com/.

More specifically, starting from 2012 the member states of the Customs Union will use new versions of single customs tariffs and harmonized system codes. The customs tariffs in question mean import duties applicable to goods imported to the single customs territory of the Customs Union from third countries and systematized according to the latter mentioned HSCs.

According to Timur Mitupov, head of Analytical Centre of Russia's Information Agency on Fisheries, the custom duty rate for finfish and other aquatic products (as calculated in percents from the custom value either in Euro or in USD) will range from 10% to 20% depending on the product's degree of processing and way of cooking.

In particular, the following import duties will be imposed for the following seafood products:

• 10% for live fish (HSC group 0301), fresh or chilled fish, except for fillets and other fish meat (HSC group 0302), frozen fish, except for fillets and other fish meat (HSC group 0303) and fish fillets and other fish meat (including mince), fresh, chilled or frozen (HSC group 0304);
• 10%-20% for dried fish, salted or in brine, smoked fish and fishmeal for human consumption (HSC group 0305) will be imposed a duty. At the same time, a 5% duty has been approved for fine and fishmeal (coarse or not) and fish granules fit for human consumption;
• 10%-20% for shellfish, shell-on/off, live, fresh, chilled, frozen, dried, salted or in brine; smoked shellfish, shell-on/off, not treated or treated thermally before and during smoking; shell-on shellfish steam-cooked or boiled, chilled or non-chilled, frozen, dried, salted or in brine; fishmeal (coarse or not) and granules from shellfish fit for human consumption (HSC group 0306);
• 10%-15% for mollusks, shell-on/off, live, fresh, chilled, frozen, dried, salted or in brine; mollusks smoked, shell-on/off, not treated or treated thermally before and during smoking; fishmeal (coarse or not) and granules from mollusks fit for human consumption (HSC group 0307);
• 10%-15% for aquatic invertebrates, except for shellfish and mollusks, live, fresh, chilled, frozen, dried, salted or in brine; aquatic invertebrates, except for shellfish and mollusks, smoked, not treated or treated thermally before and during smoking; fishmeal (coarse or not) and granules from aquatic invertebrates, except for shellfish and mollusks, fit for human consumption (HSC group 0308);
• 15% for extracts and juices from meat, fish or shellfish, mollusks or other aquatic invertebrates (HSC group 160300);
• 15%-20% for ready or canned fish; sturgeon caviar and its substitutes made from fish roe (HSC group 1604);
• 15%-20% for ready or canned shellfish, mollusks and other aquatic invertebrates (HSC group 1605).