Finland fiercely protests Russian timber tax
MOSCOW (AFP) - Russia will not lower its export duties on timber next year, Economics Minister Elvira Nabiullina was quoted as saying, despite a trade row with Finland over the taxes.
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"At the moment our working plan is to keep the same level of duties in 2010 as this year," Nabiullina said after talks with her Finnish counterpart Paavo Vaeyrynen at an investment forum in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi.
"The government is now discussing this issue and a decision will likely be taken in September-October," she was quoted by news agencies ITAR-TASS and RIA Novosti as saying.
Finland -- for whom Russia was the biggest trading partner last year -- fiercely protests Moscow's refusal to lower duties on raw timber imports, an issue that has long been a thorn in the two countries ties.
"This is one of the most prickly questions in our cooperation because a lot of wood from Russia is supplied to Finland," Nabiullina admitted.
"Most (Russian) regions have asked for duties to remain the same, but many also ask for them to be lowered now that the crisis has worsened the situation," she added.
Exports have been hit badly since Russia started gradually ratcheting up export duties in 2006.
Finnish paper companies, which rely heavily on cheap Russian wood, have threatened to close mills and cut jobs if the timber row is not resolved, but negotiations between the European Union and Russia have so far failed to strike a deal.
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Last Updated (Monday, 21 September 2009 07:19)
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