After Microsoft announced that all prices in the Microsoft Store will be displayed in dollars, Rospotrebnadzor made a statement. In it, the Ministry noted in which cases such a scenario is possible.
The text that appeared on the website of the Russian Ministry is reduced to five theses.
- The necessary information about the goods must necessarily be brought to consumers.
- Communication of information also implies the presence of uniform and clearly designed price tags.
- Price information is provided in rubles.
- At the same time, the price set in the contract in rubles can be determined by the amount of the goods in foreign currency at the exchange rate on the day of payment.
- The use of foreign currency as a means of payment is determined by the currency legislation.
Judging by the federal law “On Currency Regulation and Currency Control”, there are several options.
- If both parties to the transaction are residents of the country, then currency transactions between them are prohibited in most cases.
- Currency transactions between residents and non-residents are carried out without restrictions.
In other words, if the Russian division of Microsoft acts as a seller of services and goods, then this option is not provided for by law. However, the purchase of goods by Russian users from Microsoft as a foreign company is possible.
Microsoft explains the price changes with the development of business practices. Moreover, the company is not yet ready to say whether it refuses not only rubles, but also regional price tags.
Our colleagues with DTF suggested that such a policy is related to the desire to insure themselves against currency fluctuations. The value of the ruble has been seriously falling and growing this year.
However, this can also be explained by the company’s unwillingness to accept innovations in Russian tax taxation against the background of declining software sales, which, among other things, will oblige foreign companies to register with the Russian tax service.
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