January 17, 2005

Edict of the President of the Republic of Belarus of January 10, 2005 No. 9 establishes new Regulations on gambling activity. The gambling activity is licensed by the Ministry of Sport and Tourism. The winners may obtain the money won only when they show their identification document. The rate of the tax for gambling paid by the gambling organizations, for example, by the casinos is 3500 euro per one gambling table in Minsk city (if there are not more than 10 tables in the casino), and 3000 for such a casino in Oblast center.

Decision of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus of December 31, 2004 No. 1705 brings in alterations to the Decision of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus of April 30, 2004 No. 504 and Decision of the Council of Ministers of August 12, 2004 No. 974. In accordance with the changes brought into the Regulations on Procedure of Formation of the List of the Technological Equipments Imported to the Customs Territory of the Republic of Belarus and in Relation to Which the Temporal Import Customs Duty at the Amount of Zero Percent is Established (the Regulations are approved by the Decision No. 504), the technological equipment imported by legal persons and individual entrepreneurs covered by the Regulations shall cost not less than 20 thousands USD. The Decision No. 974 is prolonged till March 12, 2005.

Decision of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus of January 4, 2005 No. 5 changes the Regulations on Procedure of Adoption of Children and Establishing a Ward or Guardianship by Foreign Persons, Stateless Persons and Citizens of the Republic of Belarus Permanently Residing on the Territory of a Foreign State. The Decision establishes the procedure of inclusion of children into the list of children for such international adoption, provides the control over living conditions of the adopted children within 5 years after the adoption and establishes the consular record of the adopted children in consular establishments of the Republic of Belarus abroad.

Decision of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus of January 10, 2005 No. 21 approves the excise rates for alcohol products and beer. Different rates are established for alcohol products and beer for the period from January 1 up to end of March.

Decision of the Ministry of Taxes and Duties of the Republic of Belarus of December 29, 2004 No. 140 brings in changes into the procedure of payment of real estate tax. In particular, the Instructions on payment of such a tax is amended with the chapter 7-1 describing the peculiarities of payment of the tax under taxation objects being abroad. In accordance with the chapter, the sums of the tax paid in accordance with legislation of foreign state in relation to the property being abroad are not considered while paying the tax in the Republic of Belarus, unless otherwise is provided by international treaty. Belarusian organizations shall pay the tax in the Republic of Belarus in relation to their property abroad.

Decision of the State Customs Committee of the Republic of Belarus of December 20, 2005 No. 93 approves the Instructions on Peculiarities of Control of the Customs Cost of Goods Imported to the Customs Territory of the Republic of Belarus by the Official Trade Representations of Producers of the Goods. The Instructions are created with a view to simplify and speeding up the customs registration and customs control of the goods imported by the trade representations of the producers of the goods. The Instructions, in particular, lists the documents needed for the simplification of the procedures of control over the customs cost of goods.