15. What is duty? What types of duty do you know?

Duty is the amount of tax collected.

The duties payable are of two kinds.

Specific duties are fixed duties imposed according to the physical quantity of the goods.

Ad valorem duties are duties which levied according to the value of goods when duty is charged by weight, it is calculated of the net weight if the article excluding the weight of any container.

When an article contains more than 1 ingredient, the duty shall be calculated on the proportionate value of the dutiable ingredients.

All costs, which are incidental to the delivery of the goods, are included in the customs value of the goods.

In the RF all customs duties are payable both in Russian and in foreign currencies.

Payments are accepted immediately in cash; but sometimes payment is made by cheque.

16.Speak about indirect taxes.

Excise and VAT (Value Added Tax) are indirect taxes included in the value of goods.

In Russia there are excise duties on oil products, tobacco, alcohol, jewelry and automobiles.

VAT is a tax on the final consumption of goods and services in the home market.

It is collected on business transactions and imports.

17. What is a Customs union?

A customs union is an agreement between 2 or more states.

The main clauses of such an agreement are:

1) The abolition of tariffs, quotas and other restrictions on the importation and exportation of goods among the member territories.

2) The establishment of a uniforms tariff on imports from outside the union.

3) The apportionment of customs revenue between the members in accordance with an agreed formula.

4) The creation of joint organs to consider common economic and commercial policies important to the realization of the goals of the treaty.

A customs union is normally presumed to be a means in carry out trade liberalization, developing further economic relations and even achieving widespread economic integration.

Importation from non-member countries is subject to tougher control than that of member states.

The first genuine customs union was established in 1819 between Prussia and the principality of Schwartzberg.

The most comprehensive customs unions are the Benelux and the European Economic Community.

After the Soviet Union’s collapse the Soviet Republics faced economic, military and political disaster.

And then Russia, Kirgizia, Kazakhstan, Belarus formed a customs union.

18. Speak about new Rules for taking cash out of Russia

For years travelers have faced a limit on the amount of foreign currency to reckon with: the ruble.

As before, travelers are allowed to take up to 3000$ out of the country without declaring it.

Under the new law, rubles now count toward that amount as well and rubles are calculated using the central bank exchange rate on the day of departure.

Rubles will also now be included in the amount of cash when entering the country.

Under the change rubles will now be counted among the 10000$ that travelers are legally entitled to take of the country.

More than 10000$ can be taken out if the traveler presents documentation from customs officials that he declared the money upon entering the country.

The new law closes a loophole that allowed travelers to take unlimited rubles abroad and exchange them there.

A traveler can bring as much money into Russia as he wishes, but must declare any sum equal to 10000$ or more in any combination of foreign currencies, rubles, promissory notes and travelers’ checks.

Incidentally travelers could take out as much money as they wanted out as long as it was in travelers’ checks.

The law states that travelers must declare travelers’ checks only if they total more than 10000$, not counting the rubles or foreign currencies they are carrying.