Agricultural Levies to Be Harmonized

After joining the World Trade Organization, Russia will have to start taxing some agricultural products that are now exempt, a top government official said Thursday. 

The government encourages cultivation of several types of produce by waiving value-added tax. Maxim Medvedkov, chief of trade negotiations at the Economic Development Ministry, said the tax will have to be levied on these products so Russia doesn't discriminate against imports. 

For example, "if VAT for our carrots is zero, it should be zero for the imports," he said.

Link (submitted by Sun Jin)