Putin promises balanced approach to import duty on coated paper
MOSCOW. Sept 28 (Interfax) - Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has said that the stance of book publishers on the reduction of the import duty on coated paper is understandable but that domestic production of the paper should be promoted.
"Once we decided to meet the industry halfway and reduced the import duty on coated paper from 15% to 5%. And it will remain effective until February 2012. I understand the positionh of book publishers that this order could be further prolonged. But I also think you will agree with me that we should be developing our own capacities for producing such paper," he said at a congress of the Russian Book Union on Wednesday.
"Together with its colleagues in the Custom Union Russia will be making very careful, balanced decisions so as not the trample on the interests of publishers and printing companies, on the one hand, and to create conditions for the production of domestic output at affordable prices and not inferior but probably even superior to international analogs in quality," Putin said.
He said that the industry should be supplied with good paper, including coated, which is required for the production of sophisticated printed matter.