Recycling fees in Russia: there are plans, but no guarantees.

With the recycling fee increasing to 3 million rubles for used cars, enterprising Russians have come up with several schemes to circumvent these fees. As an auto expert noted in a conversation with NeMoskva Alexander Gusarov, all of them are actually risky and can create new problems.

The most common method is forging vehicle identification numbers. People understate their engine power to receive a preferential recycling fee—from 3,400 to 5,200 rubles. The savings are enormous, but so are the risks. Increasingly, counterfeit vehicles are discovered during registration with the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate (STSI). After this, the car cannot be registered, and "you get a 'no entry'," warns Gusarov. Even if the scam is successful, customs can assess the difference for a detected forgery within three years. 

Sometimes cars are imported for the Chinese domestic market without the required timeframe for their stay in China. In these cases, manufacturers block the key via GPS or restrict the car's functionality, rendering it useless. 

Importing cars through Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, where they can clear customs at low duty and recycling rates, is also almost completely banned. Now, traffic police often refuse registration and demand additional payments up to Russian rates. 

The only legal way to pay the reduced recycling fee is to import a car with up to 160 hp for personal use. However, if you sell it within a year, you'll still have to pay the difference—as if you were bringing it in for sale.  

"If you're offered a new car at a suspiciously low price, there's a high probability it was imported under a preferential tax regime in the name of a front man. When re-registering it in your name, customs will fine you and charge you an additional fee, making the final price significantly higher than the market price," says Gusarov. 

Photo: Regional Aspect, rally against recycling fees in Vladivostok