Parliament proposes settle second-hand clothing trade

Second-hand clothing trade in Ukraine should be settled, secretary of the Parliament’s committee on industrial and investment policy Vitaly Nemylostyvy said on Wednesday, May 22, at the enlarged meeting of the committee for entrepreneurship, ForUm correspondent reports.

MP noted the annual growth of the domestic market of second-hand shops. "In 2012 its imports amounted to 98.6 thousand tons. This figure is constantly increasing and affects the development of both light industry and the economy as a whole. At the same time, underestimation of the customs value is observed, In addition, cheap finished goods from Central Asia, Mongolia and other countries are imported under the guise of second-hand. I do not want to ban this market, I want to make it civilized, such as in Europe. Existing rules are insufficient to regulate it," Nemylostyvy said.

In turn, head of the Parliament’s committee for entrepreneurship Oleksandra Kuzhel said that at least 40% of Ukrainians use second-hand, and these products are often of higher quality than, say, the majority of consumer goods from China. "This is a major area, and it has to be taken into account, especially since it creates hundreds of thousands of jobs. Our Committee stands for maintaining the balance of the interests of the state, business and citizens on this issue. Mechanisms must be found, which will be implemented through a partnership between the three parties," the politician said.