Russian customs regulator abolishes zero import duty on iPads

Russia’s Federal Customs Service has abolished a zero import duty on Apple’s iPad tablet PCs equipped with a GPS module, according to an order signed by the watchdog’s Director Andrei Belyaninov said.

Russia’s Federal Antimonopoly Service earlier launched a case against the customs body over setting the zero import duty on Apple iPads, while other tablet PCs also equipped with GPS modules were still subject to the 5% duty. The antitrust service said then that the customs regulator has violated antimonopoly law by allegedly setting preferential conditions for iPad-branded tablet PC imports.

In March, Belyaninov ordered the country’s customs bodies to register Apple iPads as personal computers and lift the duty on Apple gadgets. The supplies of other tablet PCs equipped with a GPS module were still registered as GPS-navigator imports and were tacked with a 5% duty.

In response, the antimonopoly service’s Deputy Director Anatoly Golomolzin sent a letter in March to the customs service seeking to abolish the duty on all imported tablet PCs.