Crucial to develop mechanisms of consumer demand stimulation for durable goods - A.Peruashev

From January 1, 2010 the Kazakh business functions in conditions of the Customs Union. Adoption of common norms of customs regulation was preceded by a number of negotiations and agreements of the Kazakh companies with partners from Russia and Belarus. A network of new, more effective economic ties expands under our eyes. In a word, the Customs Union is a project of not only political significance, but, firstly, a new instrument of economic growth.

But it is necessary to note attempts to discredit development potential created by the Customs Union, substitution of a serious economic analysis by counterproductive arguments. One of the examples - speculations around the automobile market.

Indeed, as the experience demonstrates, a significant share of the GDP growth was ensured by effective demand expansion in the domestic market during the economic boom. Rapidly growing directions of consumer demand were durable goods, and first of all, cars.

As a result, over the past five years a car park in Kazakhstan increased twofold and future will reach a level of 3 mln in the nearest. But over 50 percent of the park makes up cars older than 10 years, which indicates an unacceptably low level of its technical state.

The similar structure of the park maintains in the most backward countries of the Third World. In the WTO members states a generally accepted mechanism for the domestic production development and import-dependence reduction are protective import duties.

An ad valorem payment method of a customs duty did not promote transparency of the customs clearance procedure, lead to large-scale understatement of customs value and was a source of development of a shadow market and corruption. A common customs tariff minimizes this opportunity, narrows the shadow market and sources for uncontrolled incidental earnests of corruption schemes participants.

A practice of the countries, which successfully implemented a project of automobile construction field, shows a feedback effect of imposed tariff on a level of consumer prices for cars of the domestic production and imported from outside. Such effect is ensured by significant growth of a level of market competitiveness between the national manufacturers and importers of automobiles.

The competitiveness growth stimulates costs reduction and earnings dilution.

Do we see this process in Kazakhstan? Absolutely.

The Kazakh manufacturer (Asia Auto JSC) announced decline in prices for cars of the domestic assembly at the end of 2009, and a number of representatives of foreign car brands (Nissan, Daewoo and etc.) informed of an intend not to increase prices for the Kazakh consumers.

Kazakhstan should consider a successful experience of foreign colleagues and develop mechanisms of consumer demand stimulation for durable goods. Taking into account limited opportunities of the financial sector, there should be considered a version of the public trust funding of such measures, which can be an important element of the program of the forced industrial and innovation development.

Ensuring opportunity of purchase of goods of the domestic production on credit in affordable terms for Kazakhstanis could be one of the social economic tasks set in the President's Message.