Aluminium and allied products, as well as ferrous and precious metals, pearls and precious and semi-precious stones, some mineral fertilisers, paper and cardboard have been added to the list of commodities liable to a five per cent export tariff. Cut and polished diamonds can be exported tax-free, the respective resolution says. It says the tariff will come into effect for a period of six months, starting seven days from publication.

Earlier this month Andrei Kushnirenko, head of the tariff policy department at the trade ministry, said that the tariff would not be applied to tolled aluminium, although the resolution does not contain a direct reference to that.

Another resolution published on last Thursday sets a tariff of 15 per cent, but no lower than 15 euros per tonne, on non-ferrous scrap metal exports for six months starting 15 days from April 22. Yet another resolution doubles to 20 per cent from 10 per cent now the export tariff on exports of seven non-ferrous scrap metals -- copper, nickel, aluminium, lead, zinc, cobalt and titanium. It also sets a minimum tariff per one tonne of scrap metal which will be 220 euros for copper, 480 euros for nickel, 100 euros for aluminium, 70 euros for lead, 120 euros for zinc, 800 euros for cobalt and 150 euros for titanium.

This resolution will be effective starting 15 days from April 22. Sugar import tariffs will be raised to five per cent from one percent on raws and to 30 per cent from 25 per cent on whites, starting 180 days from April 22, a respective resolution says. Kushnirenko earlier said that the government planned to set a seasonal export tariff of 45 per cent on both raw and white sugar from August 1 toNovember 30.