EU wants strategic partnership in taxation with Belarus

        According to Algirdas Semeta, European Commissioner for Taxation, Customs Union, Anti- Fraud, Audit and Statistics, the European Union seeks strategic partnership with Belarus in the field of taxation.
The European Commissioner told reporters that this partnership envisages joint efforts of customs services to fight fraud and contraband that comes to Lithuania mostly from Belarus and Kaliningrad Oblast of Russia: the borders with these countries are external borders of the European Union.
The European Union has come up with a strategy to counter cigarette smuggling and is going to approve it in June. The strategy envisages measures to upgrade border and customs infrastructure, tighten control over the movement of excise goods from producers to retailers. 
       Smuggling of excise goods is a real headache for the Lithuanian economy. According to a poll conducted by the portal Lietuvos Rytas, over a third of Lithuanians admitted that they purchase contraband goods (35.71%). Surveys suggest that black economy accounts for up to 30% of Lithuania’s GDP.