Convenient tricolor
According to experts in maritime law, amendments in the country’s legislation on the Russian International Ship Register (RISR) do provide benefits and advantages for Russian ship owners. Russian flag can help to cut down expenses on tax payments. Shipowners registered in the International Register may claim a refund of the amounts of unified social tax they have paid over the past three years.
This is the conclusion reached at the 6th annual maritime seminar "Russian international Ship Register: the practice of 2006-2009", held on December 11, in Rostov-on-Don.
According to Arthur Eberg, managing director of Law Firm "Eberg, Stepanov & Partners, in these four years shipowners could evaluate the law on RISR privileges and benefits it granted. "For example, today the number of vessels registered in the RISR of the seaport of Taganrog, is more than a third of those that carry out international transportation and registered in the "standard" Registers of the port. In RISR of the Big Port of St. Petersburg, is registered a 142 ship fleet of the Russian companies and 42 foreign vessels freighted by Russians ", said Mr. Eberg.
Ship owners of vessels registered in the RISR, who have paid large amounts of the unified social tax (UST) may qualify for the money," Mr. Eberg added.
Over these years, we have already had good experience in courts, says Anton Denisov, the GM of Audit-Consulting Company "Denisov-Audit, reaching cases on VAT repayment, the import duties exemption on imported vessels, zero rate of VAT on the purchase of new vessels at Russian shipyards.
"Fees and other remunerations accruing to the benefit of the crew members of a ship registered in the RISR, are not subjected to unified social tax, if the organization uses the vessel for international and foreign traffic," Mr. Denisov said.
From 1 January 2010 chapter 24 “The unified social tax” of the Russian Federation Tax Code has been removed. "Instead of UST employers will pay premiums in the state non-budget funds", - said Mr. Denisov.
He listed those taxes, which are subjected to preferential taxation of RISR: vehicle tax, property tax and value added tax. "If the vessel is registered in the ISR, the transport tax and property tax is not paid. Regarding the value added tax, several factors must be taken into account, when the ship was built, imported, purchased from a Russian supplier, its service life, etc. Therefore, the benefits of registration in RISR should be calculated for each vessel in the company ", he noted.
As of now, according to Igor Levitin, Minister of Transportation, 350 vessels with total deadweight of about 1.5 million tons have been registered in RISR. At first, the combined river-sea vessels were registered in RISR. By the end of 2009 at least 350 vessels with total deadweight of about 1.5 million tons have been already registered in RISR already registered. Now from 10 to 30 vessels are recorded every month. Noteworthy, the recent trend - the registration of large vessels.
This is the conclusion reached at the 6th annual maritime seminar "Russian international Ship Register: the practice of 2006-2009", held on December 11, in Rostov-on-Don.
According to Arthur Eberg, managing director of Law Firm "Eberg, Stepanov & Partners, in these four years shipowners could evaluate the law on RISR privileges and benefits it granted. "For example, today the number of vessels registered in the RISR of the seaport of Taganrog, is more than a third of those that carry out international transportation and registered in the "standard" Registers of the port. In RISR of the Big Port of St. Petersburg, is registered a 142 ship fleet of the Russian companies and 42 foreign vessels freighted by Russians ", said Mr. Eberg.
Ship owners of vessels registered in the RISR, who have paid large amounts of the unified social tax (UST) may qualify for the money," Mr. Eberg added.
Over these years, we have already had good experience in courts, says Anton Denisov, the GM of Audit-Consulting Company "Denisov-Audit, reaching cases on VAT repayment, the import duties exemption on imported vessels, zero rate of VAT on the purchase of new vessels at Russian shipyards.
"Fees and other remunerations accruing to the benefit of the crew members of a ship registered in the RISR, are not subjected to unified social tax, if the organization uses the vessel for international and foreign traffic," Mr. Denisov said.
From 1 January 2010 chapter 24 “The unified social tax” of the Russian Federation Tax Code has been removed. "Instead of UST employers will pay premiums in the state non-budget funds", - said Mr. Denisov.
He listed those taxes, which are subjected to preferential taxation of RISR: vehicle tax, property tax and value added tax. "If the vessel is registered in the ISR, the transport tax and property tax is not paid. Regarding the value added tax, several factors must be taken into account, when the ship was built, imported, purchased from a Russian supplier, its service life, etc. Therefore, the benefits of registration in RISR should be calculated for each vessel in the company ", he noted.
As of now, according to Igor Levitin, Minister of Transportation, 350 vessels with total deadweight of about 1.5 million tons have been registered in RISR. At first, the combined river-sea vessels were registered in RISR. By the end of 2009 at least 350 vessels with total deadweight of about 1.5 million tons have been already registered in RISR already registered. Now from 10 to 30 vessels are recorded every month. Noteworthy, the recent trend - the registration of large vessels.
Sophia Vinarova