Posted 5 июля 2023,, 12:50

Published 5 июля 2023,, 12:50

Modified 5 июля 2023,, 18:07

Updated 5 июля 2023,, 18:07

Greetings from the customs. Cars imported into the Russian Federation through Kyrgyzstan can have their title taken away

Greetings from the customs. Cars imported into the Russian Federation through Kyrgyzstan can have their title taken away

5 июля 2023, 12:50
A conflict is brewing in the Russian automobile market, which may affect tens of thousands of car owners. The Russian authorities are not satisfied with the practice of importing cars through Kyrgyzstan with a significant underestimation of the price. Sellers are cashing in on the difference in customs duties, and buyers will have to deal with it.
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Many experts pay attention to the situation in the automotive market that has developed since the beginning of its development. Cars that have received customs documents in Kyrgyzstan are imported into the country en masse. We are talking about parallel import. This country has the most favorable conditions for customs clearance within the Eurasian Economic Union. Plus, local specifics and sanctions allow you to underestimate the cost of a car from which customs duty is paid. The latter aspect can lead to the fact that end customers can simply lose their cars.

The problem was described in detail by blogger Mikhail Zhukhovitsky:

«Tens of thousands of cars imported into the Russian Federation after the start of their registration are guaranteed to be canceled. Reason: cars are customs in Kyrgyzstan with an understatement of the price. And then they are taken for sale in the Russian Federation, » he writes, «in fact, a car with delivery to Kyrgyzstan costs 80 thousand dollars. But to the customs in Kyrgyzstan is presented with a drawn document that the cost was 30 thousand dollars. And the customs duty is paid not from 80 thousand, but from 30. The Customs of Kyrgyzstan does not mind, nothing surprises them, they agree with any amount. This is not the worst example. I've seen dozens of new Camries from China, allegedly bought for 6 thousand dollars. I visited 15 major car dealerships and the automobile market of Kyrgyzstan. Absolutely all cars are customs cleared with an understatement of the price. It is good if 50%-60% of the price were shown at customs. This is already a rarity. For mass models, such as cheap electric cars like Geely, they show 15-20% of the price».

According to the blogger, part of the problem is that due to sanctions and the withdrawal of Western brands from In Russia, the federal customs service does not have current prices for cars. On the other hand in Kyrgyzstan is interested in customs operations passing through it, since duties remain in the country's budget.

«When European brands were blocked, there was a massive China, cleared through Kyrgyzstan. Car dealers quickly realized that the Russian Federation does not know how much various Chinese cars cost. And they started customs with a wild understatement, » the blogger writes. — Then the sellers realized that the FCS of the Russian Federation and the FCS of Kyrgyzstan do not have a common electronic database for the paid duty. For each car, the customs and traffic police of the Russian Federation must make a request. And they began to bring European cars to Kyrgyzstan. The math is simple. The Geely Monjaro hybrid is sold after customs, with an understated price, in Bishkek for 33 thousand dollars. She is picked up by Russian auto sellers on a car carrier. A week later, it is sold with a Russian PTS, for an average of 41-42 thousand dollars. Nine thousand dollars of profit from a middle—class car in a week — there have never been such profit margins in the auto business. Cars are sold out in the Russian Federation instantly, there are almost none in stock».

The Russian association of car dealers «Novye Izvestia» stated that there is such a scheme for parallel imports, but official dealers do not use it.

«We are interested in cars being processed in Russia and payments going to the budget of the Russian Federation», — the organization said.

 

Problem cars are a headache for the owners

Vice-president of the National Automobile Union Anton Shaparin confirmed to Novye Izvestia that there are a lot of cars in the Russian Federation that arrived through Kyrgyzstan and have a reduced cost. We are talking about tens and hundreds of thousands of cars.

«The problem is really massive, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan are clogged with such cars, » the expert says, «the understatement of prices is dramatic, at times. It is clear that such a bacchanal will not last forever. Everyone is aware of this scheme in general: both Russian authorities and Kyrgyz authorities. Russian customs officers fly past the money, because all customs fees go to the budget of the country where the car is cleared. Therefore, our authorities are certainly interested in having cars customs in Of Russia. Now the authorities are trying to figure out how to settle this with the other side, get information and whether it is possible to classify it as a violation in the field of customs legislation».

Blogger Mikhail Zhukhovitsky is sure that when the customs authorities agree, the sanction will be the toughest — up to the cancellation of the PTS. This will turn the car into a pumpkin and make owning it meaningless. The maximum that can be obtained from such a car is to sell it for spare parts. at the same time, such cars are sold both from overbought and unnamed car companies, and from promoted dealers. All of them receive a double benefit — a margin on the car and savings due to the customs clearance curve, and the end user will have to deal with the problems.

«Is it possible to be safe if you buy a car from a major dealer in the Russian Federation? No, you can't, » the blogger believes. — First: there are practically no real official car dealers in the Russian Federation now. Just under their brands, the mass delivery of any cars began. Secondly, they buy cars from intermediary legal entities. Third: over the past year, car sellers have earned more than in the previous 10 years. Everyone is only interested in profit at the moment. Cars with understated invoices are also picked up in bulk by the largest network salons of the Russian Federation. I won't write the names. The guys just decided to earn their last way until they are ousted by official Chinese dealers».

 

Or will money solve the problem?

 

Anton Shaparin from the Automobile Union believes that they will not cancel the PTS, since this is too harsh a measure for people who bought a car for full price, but they can easily force them to pay an additional fee.

«I think that it will not come to the cancellation of the PTS, customs will be limited to the requirements for additional payment, » says Anton Shaparin. — I think they will come up with some kind of mechanism, and it will be done en masse. Is it possible to protect yourself from this at the stage of buying a car? That when buying in the salon, that you need to do one simple thing with your hands. If you can't show the customs declaration that the car is cleared in The Russian Federation, then in this case you need to turn around and leave, leaving this car to someone else». Such a freebie leads to one thing: the enrichment of those who organized it, the creators of the scheme, and in the future to the impoverishment of the client».

Independent auto expert Sergey Burgazliev believes that it will be difficult to make claims to car owners, both from a legal point of view and from a social point of view.

«Formally, now there is no way to legally cancel the electronic Manufacturer's Certificate of Origin, if it was issued legally when importing a car from Kyrgyzstan in „The fact that the authorities are now trying to claim that cars were imported at low prices, even if we assume that this is the case, does not create a precedent of an offense on the date of importation of cars in the past. Before we talk about how to avoid this, we need to understand what departments can or cannot come up with. In any case, if they decide to block the electronic Manufacturer's Certificate of Origin or any other measures, it will create a wave of social tension, which is not necessary“.

Nevertheless, the Russian customs is already practicing the presentation of surcharges for electric cars that were previously imported under the privilege, and now the authorities are demanding to pay the entire amount of the duty.

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