VITEBSK, 24 April (BelTA) - Vitebsk Department Store is the first retail outlet of Vitebsk ready to introduce the Tax Free system, BelTA learnt from director of the department store Svetlana Karput.

At the moment Vitebsk Department Store is installing a special automated system with all the necessary software and testing it. The system will be commissioned by the end of H1 2014, so the foreign guests and participants of the International Festival of Arts Slavonic Bazaar in Vitebsk will be able to make purchases at the department store using the Tax Free system.

All in all, in Vitebsk Oblast there are two shops operating the Tax Free system - in Polotsk and Postavy.

Belarus introduced the Tax Free system on 1 January 2013 as a way to return the VAT that foreign nationals pay while purchasing merchandise in Belarus. The system is expected to encourage foreign tourists to spend more in Belarus. The minimal purchase has to be Br800,000 to become eligible for the tax refund.