OREANDA-NEWS. On October 09, 2008 A working meeting of heads of Ukrainian, Russian and Belarusian tax departments started in Kharkiv (East Ukraine).

The meeting is initiated by the Ukrainian party. The meeting participants are discussing cooperation on holding joint operative-preventive measures in the near-border regions including revelation of illegal schemes of minimizing tax obligations and illegal turnover of excisable, namely alcohol and tobacco, products.
 
Within the meeting the parties will sign an agreement including all the decisions adopted. One of them concerns simplification of cooperation of the parties on the regional level, implementation of joint projects does not envisage budget financing but is done according to trilateral agreements on near-border cooperation signed before. This is especially important because Ukraine's and Russia's land border exceeds 2,000 kilometers and Russia's and Belarus' - almost 1,500 kilometers.

Russia's annual losses caused by smuggling of tobacco products exceed USD 70 million. As regards Belarus, for instance, smuggling of tobacco products and vodka from Russia totals billions of rubles. A little less amounts are related to smuggled bringing in of cheap cloths from Ukraine and taking out foodstuffs from Belarus.