OREANDA-NEWS. On 12 May 2009 was announced, that Belarus introduced temporary higher customs duties on import of consumer goods to protect the domestic market and cut imports in conditions of the growing trade deficit. The president sighed relevant ordinance #214.

The president approved increased duties for two lists of commodities [six months’ duties for the former and nine months’ duties for the latter].

The first list includes meat and poultry by-products (40% of the customs value, and not more than 0.4 euros per kilo), yeast (30%), ice cream (25%), natural grape wines (30%); soap (25%), bags (30%), fiberboard (25%), wallpaper (25%), toilet paper and paper towels (25%), carpets (30%), underwear (30%), tights (25%), sweaters (30%), coats, raincoats, jackets, suits, shirts, blouses (30%), second-hand clothes (30%, and at least 1.1 euros per kilo), refrigerators (25%), washing-machines (25%), microwave ovens (40%), vacuum cleaners (30%), DVD-players (30%), etc.

The second list includes potato, onion, cabbage, carrot, beet – all subject to a restrictive 180% import duty.

Import duties on textiles do not apply to imports from the European Union, Turkey, Switzerland and Lichtenstein.