[14.07.2003, 13:40]
Prices on tea will be raised in Ukraine ... The Parliament has passed the Law of Ukraine on ‘changing the customs tariff of Ukraine’. By the Law, the prices on tea will be increased. The changes were approved by 296 National Deputies out of 443 registered in the Parliament.
In particular the Law concerns the increase of the rate of an import customs on tea both flavoured and not flavoured in the immediate package weighing not more than 3 kg from 0,4 Euro per kg to 1 Euro per kg. The new rate of the import customs on tea bags is 2 Euro per 1 kg. As stressed by the experts, the law will stimulate the own printing industry and some other industries producing materials for the package of tea. Thus higher rate of import duty on packaged tea will encourage the domestic tea industry and will increase the income of the State Budget.

[10.07.2003, 13:40]
Technical Committee ‘Tea, coffee and tea- and coffee beverages’ was established ... By the joint order of the (Gosstandart) Russian Federation State Committee for Standardisation and Metrology and the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation, Technical Committee for Standardisation ‘Tea, coffee and tea- and coffee-containing beverages’ No.451 has been established. U.G. Steiman, president of the Russian Tea and Coffee Association (Rusteacoffee), Hero of Socialist Labour, was designated as the chairman of the new Technical Committee. Technical Committee ‘Concentrated food, tea, coffee, natural flavour and colours’ No.152 used to be responsible for all issues concerning tea and coffee standards.
In accordance with the order, Technical Committee ‘Tea, coffee and tea- and coffee-containing beverages’ was formed “with a view to implementing the Federal Law on Technical Regulation, pursuing technical policy to standardise tea, coffee and tea- and coffee-containing beverages and as agreed upon with the interested organisations”, meaning that all questions regarding the standardisation of the given products must be submitted for coordination to the new Technical Committee.

[8.07.2003, 13:40]
Ukrainian government wants to put coffee and chocolate on excisable goods list ... The Government of Ukraine made a proposal to add coffee, coffee-containing products , chocolate and car tires to the list of excisable goods to increase the income of the State Budget. The proposal, made by Premier Viktor Yanukovych on June 26 2003, was addressed to Verkhovna Rada Speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn.
The Government wants to introduce excise duty on coffee at the rate of 0,2 EUR per 1 kg, the measure that will bring additional 13,7 million Griven to the Budget. Duty on soluble coffee will be 0,8 EUR per kg (additional 33,3 million Griven), on coffee-containing goods - 0,1 EUR per 1 kg, chocolate and chocolate-containing products - 0,3 EUR per kg (2,1 million Gryven), car tires - 5 EUR per 1 unit (112 million Griven).
Representatives of one of Ukraine’s confectionery plants told that the government proposals, when implemented, will result in a part of small and medium confectioneries going bankrupt, something that will eventually stimulate the contraband of coffee and chocolate to Ukraine.