March 1, 2004

Decision of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus of February 20, 2004 No. 190 On Export by Legal Persons of Scrap and Wastes of Ferrous and Non-ferrous Metals from the Republic of Belarus in 2004 establishes that export from the republic in 2004 of scrap and wastes originating from the Republic of Belarus may be carried out in established order by legal persons according to the appendix enclosed to the Decision at export of the scrap and wastes fro processing and its partial payments, as well as scrap and wastes of hard-alloyed articles and alloyed steels received as payments for the instruments and accessories for metal processing delivered; and legal persons having the scrap and wastes in cases of export of these materials to the Russian Federation for processing, payment of reprocessing, sale and purchase and exchange to metal products.

Decision of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus of February 20, 2004 No. 192 On Approving the Rates of Excises for Alcohol Products and Beer establishes the excise rates according to appendix 1 and from January 1, 2004 till June 30, 2004 suspends the effect of the Decision of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus of January 21, 2003 No. 63 On Rates of Excises for Excisable Goods in part of the excise rates for alcohol products and beer according to appendix 2. Different rates established for different kinds of alcohol products depending on alcohol containment and on the month (from January till June).

Decision of the State Customs Committee of February 6, 2004 No. 13 brings in alterations and amendments to the Decision of the State Customs Committee of the Republic of Belarus of August 16, 2001 No. 45 approving the Instruction on Procedure of Calculation, Payment and Control Over Payment of Customs Dues for Customs Registration, Customs Duty, Excises and VAT. In particular changes concern the goods imported to the customs territory of the Republic of Belarus as international technical aid.

Decision of the State Customs Committee of the Republic of Belarus of February 13, 2004 No. 15 brings in alterations and amendments to some normative legal acts on matters of customs registration of goods imported to the territory of free customs zone and exported from this territory. In particular changes are brought into the Regulations on Procedure of Customs Registration of Goods Imported to the Territory of Free Customs Zone and Exported from Its Territory approved by the Decision of the State Customs Committee of August 24, 1999 No. 374-OD. According to amendments, packing materials imported and classified in accordance with the Commodity Nomenclature of External Trade Activity along with the goods being packed, and the cost of which is included to the customs cost of such goods are not subject to customs registration and are not put under the customs regime of free customs zone separately from such goods, as well as they do no subject to account. According to the Decision origination from free economic zone is certified with the certificate of origin of goods of the general form issued by the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.