June 30, 2016, 21:41 / Business

Alcohol importers may receive excise stamps in the next two weeks

The alcohol market will not suffer from this, said Ministry of Finance representative Ekaterina Burlakova

Alcohol importers may receive excise stamps in the next two weeks / M. Stulov / Vedomosti

FSUE Goznak will be able to supply excise stamps for imported alcohol in the next two weeks, a representative of the Ministry of Finance told Vedomosti. He assured that the alcohol market would not suffer as a result. A representative of Goznak also confirms its readiness to issue stamps in the near future.

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Samples of stamps were developed and sent for approval to the Federal Customs Service back in May 2016. Goznak has already prepared production and purchased all the necessary materials for the mass production of new excise stamps. After the issuance of the Federal Customs Service order approving the new excise stamps, Goznak will begin their production, and shipment will begin within seven days.

On Thursday, the Kommersant newspaper reported that due to a shortage of new excise stamps, alcohol importers will soon face problems. The issuance of old stamps is now being completed. At the warehouse of the Central Excise Customs, their stocks are being depleted, and for some nomenclature items they have completely run out. New stamps are not issued.

As a result, some companies have already suspended or sharply reduced the import of alcohol, Valery Filatov, chairman of the board of the Union of Importers of Alcohol Products (SIAP), told the newspaper. The union calls the situation critical and is preparing an appeal to First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov, says Filatov. In connection with changes in the requirements for labeling alcoholic products, the Federal Customs Service was obliged to hold a tender to select a contractor for the production of new excise stamps. The competition has not yet been announced, although new stamps should be issued from July 1. Conducting a tender, developing, producing and delivering stamps can take several months, Filatov insists.

Some popular positions on the imported alcohol market may end by the end of July, one of the market participants told Kommersant. If the issue is not resolved by this time, importers may miss the high season in October - December, which brings about 50% of sales.

The publication's interlocutor clarifies that about three months pass between receipt of stamps and delivery of products. Losses of importers can be measured in tens of millions of rubles per month, Filatov knows. According to him, the most suitable option in the current situation is to extend the validity of old-style stamps for three months, but this will require new regulations. Preparing such an act will also take some time.