Transdniestria will not take part in talks until Moldova lifts import tax
CHISINAU. April 1 (Interfax) - Transdniestria will not take part in the forthcoming round of five plus two talks in Vienna on April 10-11 unless Moldova lifts the excises it imposed on Transdniestrian economic agents from January 1, 2014, the breakaway republic's foreign minister Nina Shtanski said.
As of January 1, 2014, Transdniestrian companies have to pay an excise in Moldova when importing raw materials and parts for their production facilities, Shtanski told reporters on Tuesday after meeting with the head of the Moldovan delegation to the talks, Deputy Prime Minister For Reintegration Yevgeny Karpov, at the Chisinau office of the OSCE (Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe).
"This puts Transdniestrian business on unequal terms, they have to pay the excise twice - in Moldova and in Transdniestria," Shtanski said.
Tiraspol linked the excise problem to Moldova's "economic blockade" of Transdniestria.
On December 23, 2013, the Moldovan parliament approved two new sections of the Tax Code, which have been in effect since January 1, 2014. Their enactment automatically left all importers and exporters without tax concessions which had been enjoyed by Transdniestrian businesses since 2006.
In late March, the Moldovan government said it will restore the concessions for Transdniestrian businesses, which had been in effect since 2006.