Golovchenko: Government considers possibility of extending benefits for road carriers

On visiting Primway JSC in the Minsk District, Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko, stated, “Belarus is a transit country, and exports of services is of great importance for us – given that we always demonstrate a steady positive balance in services. Road transportation occupies the second place in the service sector after information and communication services: in eight months, their exports exceeded $1bn. Carriers have promised that the figure will reach $1.7-1.8bn by the end of the year. In 2022, it will exceed $2bn.”

Roman Golovchenko noted that this sector is also important for creating jobs. More than 3,000 business entities work in the field of road transportation, with over 20,000 vehicles in operation.

“Importantly, regions are actively involved in the field of road transportation and such enterprises are often one of the major tax payers to district budgets. Attention to this area is also natural. The state, for its part, provides certain preferences. For several years, there has been a benefit for the payment of VAT and scrap collection when trucks with a Euro-6 engine are imported into the territory of Belarus. This benefit has worked very well and we are now considering prospects of extending this regime for 2022,” the Prime Minister said.

Mr. Golovchenko emphasised that Belarus' participation in the EAEU had a positive impact on development of the industry, “Prior to the EAEU establishment, more than 90 percent of road transportation accounted for European countries, and our share has been balanced by now. We enjoy 45 percent of traffic in the European direction and 55 percent in the EAEU. We have balanced our focus – which is an example of how the EAEU is positively influencing Belarusian business entities’ work.”

As the Prime Minister added, he had instructed to single out sites along major transport corridors near small settlements which the state can allocate under simplified conditions to create infrastructure for road freight transportation there. “We are talking about repair areas, offices, and parking lots. This will also contribute to regional development and creation of jobs. This area is extremely important for the national economy,” Mr. Golovchenko explained.