Starting this January, foreign carriers arriving in Belarus by truck or bus don’t have to pay a one-time fee for driving on public roads.
The corresponding chapter is excluded from the updated Tax Code.
The toll for using public roads in Belarus by foreign carriers went to the Republican road fund. It was expected that in 2018, the fund would be replenished by 9 million Belarusian rubles.
“Permits to carriers will still be issued, but they won’t have to pay for them. Thus, foreigners will pay a one-time fee, namely they will pay the fee on the country’s toll roads,” the Ministry of Transport explained.
What will it bring?
The change is expected to ensure the transit attractiveness of Belarus for foreign hauliers. Besides, the additional volume of transit transport will boost roadside service development and increase money flow into the country.
“This will also have a positive effect on Belarusian carriers,” the Ministry of Transport believes. This will get them more permits to travel through the territory of foreign countries. As a result, the incoming taxes will exceed the number of budget losses from the toll abolition.
“Belarusian companies that own trucks or buses with transit numbers issued in a foreign country also won’t have to pay a fee.”
The move won’t affect the national toll road network, it will keep working in normal mode. Recall that earlier companies and individuals, who own or use foreign vehicles, had to pay a fee to travel along public motorways in Belarus.