WTO
So, we agreed … Indeed, it was not appropriate for Russia to be outside a respected international organization, whose members are almost all countries of the world. The WTO, in theory, has the most important tasks: to develop uniform trade rules for all countries and to ensure that all member states comply with them. The benefit for companies is clear: they can export their goods to other countries duty-free (or with minimal wrap). For ordinary citizens, it also seems to be of benefit: immediately or in the future, imported goods will become cheaper. These are all pluses. Among the disadvantages is the inability (as they say) to protect the weak sectors of domestic industry from the expansion of better foreign products. And now - rejoice in victory or, conversely, upset, surrendering the last pockets of resistance to our economy?
I think that the industries that were allowed to die quietly died long before joining the WTO, despite the incantations of politicians and attempts to save them by injecting budget money. Alas, we have practically no civilian aircraft manufacturing and general machine tool building, and if all attempts to revive them in the absence of competition did not lead to success …
THE CAR INDUSTRY IS SAVED
But the automotive industry - there is, in the Russian market, cars assembled in Russia rule the ball! The situation in the automotive industry was discussed separately, and here our negotiators achieved some success. For example, we have, as you know, the highest customs duties in Europe for the import of new foreign cars. Installed to stimulate local production. And now they agreed with the WTO that they will be reduced in stages. First, from the current 30 to 25%. For three years they will remain at this level, and then the annual decline will be approximately 2.5%. So by 2019, import duties will amount to … 15%.
Obstacles will remain in the way of used foreign cars. For cars older than seven years, the duty is still prohibitive, for cars from three to seven it will drop to 25%, and after five years - to 20%. But there is nothing to be afraid of for foreign manufacturers who have established their plants in Russia: by agreement with other WTO members, the industrial assembly regime (with all the attendant benefits) will continue.
The only thing our negotiators seem to have pierced is the customs duties on importing foreign trucks into the Russian Federation. Either they forgot for 18 years of debate in Geneva that Russia has its own car plants (GAZ, KamAZ, Ural and others), or they considered this fact not worthy of attention … In general, duties on new dump trucks (weighing over 20 r) immediately after joining the WTO, they should decrease from the current 25 to 10%, and after three years to 5%. Fees for new truck tractors, as well as for used dump trucks, will also be reduced. In other words, cheap trucks from China and all kinds of junk from Europe may well pour into Russia.
The issue of localization remains unresolved. Under the current conditions established by the WTO, it becomes unprofitable to develop the production of auto components in the country, it is easier and cheaper to import them from behind a hill. It turns out that they fought in vain, tensed, and from all of them dragged allies to us.
PASSENGER CARS EXACTLY DO NOT BECOME CHEAPER - NEITHER NEW, USED. THE PRICE IS DECIDED BY THE MARKET, NOT THE COST
MAIN THING - STABILITY
With all the sympathy for the problems of manufacturers, I still want to understand how the new rules will affect the pocket of ordinary car owners. Apparently, nothing. Prices are dictated by the market, and duties here play far from the main role. For example, Ford Focus, in good configuration, assembled in the Leningrad Region (that is, it was not subject to duty!), Is sold today for 700 thousand rubles. Built on the same Mazda-3 platform in a similar configuration, but made in Japan, it costs in Russia … about the same. That's the whole arithmetic: the product costs exactly as much as how much they agree to buy it. So there is no reason to count the days before the official entry into the WTO in the hope of saving: inflation will eat up the difference of 5%.
By the way, it does not seem that domestic manufacturers (including trucks) were very worried about their vague prospects. Firstly, the documents formalizing accession to the WTO must be ratified by the State Duma, then go through a series of different formalities, and only then (tentatively - by July) will Russia be finally accepted as a member of this respected organization. And during this time, a lot of things can happen: either the State Duma will start to mess up, or some kind of shifts will occur in a world overrun by the economic crisis …
And if, nevertheless, the procedure passes strictly according to the schedule and, in the summer, columns of used trucks rush to Russia, say, non-tariff regulation methods remain at the disposal of the Russian authorities. You can enter not duties, but excise taxes (they are outside the scope of the WTO) or come up with the rules of technical regulation. Thus, Europe, for example, is protected from Chinese cars, and China - from European ones. And at the same time, all of them are members of the WTO … Where are we, too, welcome.
