In Russia, 97 billion rubles of excise taxes will be charged according to the labeling code for tobacco products for July 2024. This was told to Izvestia on Tuesday, September 10, in the press service of the Center for the Development of Advanced Technologies (CRPT, operator of the state marking system "Honest Sign").
"Since July 1, 2024, excise taxes on tobacco products have been administered on the basis of a labeling system. This became possible thanks to the launch of the Digital Excise project. In July of this year, by receiving labeling codes for tobacco products, manufacturers and importers guaranteed payment of 97 billion rubles of excise duty. This figure is almost 8% more than in the same period last year," the CRPT said.
They noted that the initiative launched in July marks the transition from traditional paper excise stamps to a digital labeling system. Unlike paper excise stamps, such labeling also allows you to track the further movement of goods and carry out state control.
In addition, the system simplifies the process of controlling the tax base. The Federal Tax Service now has more precise tools for determining the volume of production and sale of tobacco products.
The CRPT recalled that a new stage of "transition" has started in Russia since September 1 — from this date, the Federal Tax Service will stop accepting applications for the issuance of paper excise stamps.
The transition to an electronic system promises to reduce the administrative burden on businesses and government agencies, said Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Economic Policy Artyom Kiryanov.
"There are several significant problems associated with the paper excise tax, starting with the fact that the administration process from requesting stamps to issuing and controlling takes up to 50 days, and ending with difficulties taking into account stamps for tobacco products, and this is only the tip of the iceberg. The innovation will bring the industry even closer to the complete abandonment of paper excise stamps, as well as to the digitalization of the country's economy. This will reduce labor costs, the number of desk inspections, and the volume of paper document flow," the deputy explained.
At the same time, industry representatives see digitalization as an opportunity to optimize processes and reduce costs.
"Working with digital marking codes is much more efficient and economical than with paper. Legal manufacturers and importers will receive additional benefits, which should eventually lead to the displacement of illegal products and consumer protection. Yes, everything new, especially in terms of technology, is a certain stress, but we are confident that this initiative will lead to the formation of a competitive and transparent tobacco market in Russia," said Evgeny Fedotov, head of the Fedotov Group tobacco consulting agency.
As follows from the letter of the Council for the Development of the Tobacco Industry, the potential savings from abandoning paper stamps will amount to more than 2 billion annually.
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