(Source: http://www.weddingphoto.com.ua)

The mechanism of refund of the value added tax (tax free) will be running in a pilot mode in several dozen Russian shops. This was told by the Finance Minister Anton Siluanov in an interview.

“More than 40 outlets will participate in this system” - he said. At the end of March it was revealed that tax free in Russia would be applied to alcohol. “It will apply to any goods, except for excisable goods. It will also affect alcohol, despite the fact that this item is excisable” -  the Head of the Department of Tax and Customs Policy of the Ministry of Finance Aleksey Sazanov explained. It is expected that the system will work in a pilot mode from October 1, 2017, it is planned to introduce the bill to the State Duma in April.

In January 2017 it has been reported that the  tax free system would be applied to all categories of products, including food. Before that it was expected that foreign tourists would be able to get refund only for nonfood purchases. The Ministry of Industry and Trade has insisted on the expansion of the list. The minimum purchase amount for VAT refund will make up 10 thousand roubles.