The Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation has developed a draft resolution allowing unscheduled inspections of jewelry companies whose products were seized in the course of operational search activities. The agency says this is necessary to combat counterfeiting, and market players warn that tighter regulation will lead to lower tax payments due to bankruptcies and shadow companies.
“In 2022, due to the moratorium, the Federal Testing Office was forced to cancel 126 scheduled inspections. In addition, according to 83 inspections, cases of administrative violations were not initiated, ”Izvestia quoted the document, which got acquainted with the draft resolution.
A 2022 moratorium on business inspections increases the risk of trafficking in illegal products, the policy note notes. The agency gives figures: only from 2021 to 2022. 94.2 thousand pieces of suspicious jewelry were sent to the Federal Assay Office (FPP) for examination.
At the same time, the FPP cannot impose fines if an adequate control has not been carried out. The House currently has no such powers: Under the moratorium, scheduled inspections are allowed only in companies “with extremely high and high risk categories,” and unscheduled inspections are allowed on behalf of the president, the government, and prosecutors.
“The moratorium has limited the possibility of liability in cases where law enforcement officers record violations of the law, seize counterfeit goods. And the Federal Assay Office cannot fine without opening its own check,” the FPP press service explained to Izvestia.
Lawyers believe that the measures proposed by the Ministry of Finance are justified: if law enforcement agencies are already carrying out operational search measures against a jewelry company, then there are reasons to doubt the legality of the products. .
Sergey Yelin, an expert on financial and legal security of the Opora Rossii business, takes a similar position: “If law enforcement seizes goods and, not being professionals in the field of jewelry, cannot assess it in a qualified manner, it is necessary involve the Test Supervision Inspectorate.”
But market players voice their concerns: another tighter control measure adds problems to an already suffering sector of the economy.
Due to a disruption in the supply chains, an increase in the cost of raw materials after the imposition of sanctions and restrictions on imports, the business is fading: especially the small and medium ones, only in the last four months, the number of small jewelry companies has decreased by 13.4% (data from the Guild of Jewelers of Russia).
According to the representative of the Guild, Vladimir Zboikov, such attempts to strengthen supervision of the industry are “a desire to increase the role of the analytical office in the precious metals market.” At the same time, they will only lead to a reduction in tax payments, since companies will be forced to go “in the shadows” or even exit the market.
Author:
Ekaterina Alipova
Source: RB
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