Russian Deputy PM sees import duties on GPS equip from Jan 2012

MOSCOW, Jul 18 (PRIME) — Russian Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov said Monday that customs duties on imported navigation equipment and other equipment supporting the U.S. Global Positioning System (GPS) and not receiving signals from Russias Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS) might be introduced starting from January 1, 2012.

He did not specify the size of the projected customs duties.

A government commission presided over by Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov suggested in mid-2010 setting customs duties on imported GPS navigators at 25% of their value.

Navigators and other equipment supporting both GPS and GLONASS are not expected to be subjected to the customs duties, Ivanov said.

Ivanov also said it was necessary to equip all garbage trucks in Russia with GLONASS navigators in order to improve the countrys ecology. Its no secret that garbage trucks often haul (the collected) waste to the nearest forest, rather than to a certified (waste treatment) facility, he said, adding that this problem can only be solved by equipping the trucks with GLONASS navigators.

At present, between 40,000 and 50,000 vehicles of government bodies are already equipped with GLONASS navigators, Ivanov also said.

Separately, Ivanov carried out a test drive in the Lada Kalina car produced by Russias largest carmaker, AvtoVAZ, and equipped with a GLONASS navigator. GLONASS navigators installed in a car increase the total retail price of the car by 13,000 rubles, a representative of a dealer of AvtoVAZ told Ivanov.

GLONASS is an alternative to the GPS and the E.U.s future Galileo positioning system.

(28.1277 rubles U.S. $1)

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