Government Criticises 35%-Increase of Tariffs on Foreign Cars

A 35%-increase in tariffs on imported cars proposed by the Industry and Science Ministry "will in no way boost the competitiveness of Russian car makers, on the contrary, it will altogether kill the car-making industry." Such an opinion was voiced on Friday by deputy chief of the Russian government apparatus Alexei Volin who commented on the mass media reports about the initiative of the Industry and Science Ministry to raise tariffs on imported cars in a RIA Novosti interview.

Alexei Volin said that last year tariffs on second-hand foreign cars had already been raised. "As a result, Russian cars started to sell at an average $900 more. After that Russian car makers were faced with the problem of marketing," the government official recalled.

According to him, if the prices keep soaring, a situation will shape up "when a reasonable person will refuse to pay more money for cars with the comfort and quality offered by Russian car makers."