Society and culture: Museums, archives and libraries are released from VAT on imported cultural values from abroad

From January, 1 2010 the state and municipal museums, archives and libraries will be released from value added tax on all imported cultural values from abroad, informed the Federal Service for Supervision of observance of legislation in protecting the cultural heritage /Rosohrankultura/. This condition was introduced into the new edition of Article 150 subparagraph 4 of the Russian Tax Code.

The previous edition of the Tax Code released from VAT only those cultural values which had been donated to the “especially important objects of cultural and national heritage of the Russian Federation”. There are only 67 of them in Russia. Among them 18 museum-reserves, 16 museums, 15 institutes of higher education, 8 archives, 3 libraries, 3 theatres, 2 scientific and 2 art organizations. All other state and municipal cultural institutions were to pay 18 % from the cost of imported cultural values.