Many entrepreneurs who want to start their own business in the field of trade are often faced with the fact that the goods they plan to sell may be under state control. This means that in order to carry out trading activities, the organization must obtain a license from the state.
Until recently, there was law No. 128-FZ, issued in 2001, "On licensing certain types of activities." Changes and additions were regularly made to it, in particular, the latest changes entered into force on January 1, 2011. However, our legislators did not calm down on this, and in May 2011 they issued a new law No. 99-FZ with the same name, which came into force on November 3 of this year. At the same time, on October 19, and then November 21, changes have already been made to it. Fortunately, this had little effect on the activities of trade organizations, because the list of licensed types of detail for them remained the same.
So, a trading license is required:
- if you are going to sell technical means aimed at obtaining secret information;
- if you plan to sell printed products protected from counterfeiting (including forms of securities);
- if your goods include ammunition and other types of weapons;
- if you want to sell scrap of ferrous and non-ferrous metals;
- if your company will sell medical and pharmaceutical products (including psychotropic and narcotic drugs).
A separate law (No. 171-FZ "On state regulation of the production and circulation of ethyl alcohol, alcoholic and alcohol-containing products") regulates retail sales of alcoholic products, which implies an annual payment of a state duty of 40 thousand rubles for a license valid for 1 to 5 years. Licenses are issued, for example, in Moscow by the Department of Trade and Services, in St. Petersburg - by the Committee for Economic Development, Industrial Policy and Trade, in the regions - by similar state institutions with appropriate powers.
It should be noted that until recently, obtaining a license to trade in alcohol concerned only products with an ethyl alcohol content of more than 15%.
However, in July 2011, the President signed amendments to the law, which state that now licenses must be obtained to trade in alcohol with a strength of more than 5%, and beer and other low-alcohol drinks were equated to alcohol.
Thus, for the retail sale of beer and beer drinks from July 1, 2012, a license will be required.
