Azerbaijan to support e-commerce development
By Nigar Orujova
Azerbaijan's Communications and High Technologies Ministry is preparing proposals to support the development of electronic commerce, the Ministry said on September 4.
The proposals include points which exempt business entities engaged in e-commerce from the customs and tax duties.
Certain steps have been taken at the legislative level in the creation of appropriate conditions for the development of retail e-commerce.
The abolition of customs duties on goods purchased outside of the country (through electronic trading platforms) worth up to 1,000 manats could serve as an example. Previously, customs duties were imposed on goods worth up to 200 manats.
"As a major commercial activity on the Internet, this aspect also paves the way for the use of tax and customs privileges. The Ministry intends to initiate negotiations on this issue with the relevant government agencies," the Ministry said.
The volume of e-commerce market in Azerbaijan amounted to 2.6 million manats in 2013, which is 1.6 times more than in 2012, the State Statistics Committee said.
The pace of e-commerce development is increasing in Azerbaijan monthly in line with ICT sector enlargement.
Moreover, more than 36 million users have used the services of e-commerce portal www.b2b.az since 2008. The portal was established in Azerbaijan to support entrepreneurs' free exit to the market.
Over 10,000 people used the portal's services in the first half of 2014. It is visited not only by Azerbaijan's citizens, but also foreigners.