Georgia's Free Business Association has called on the Ministry of Finance to raise the duty-free threshold for postal imports from GEL 300 to GEL 900, arguing that the current limit, introduced in 2009, no longer reflects the country's economic reality or the rapid growth of global e-commerce.
The association says the existing threshold has become outdated due to the depreciation of the Georgian lari, inflation, and rising consumer prices over the past 17 years. It notes that the lari has weakened by more than 38% against the U.S. dollar since 2009, while consumer prices have increased by roughly 65–70%, significantly reducing the real value of the exemption.
The proposal comes as some business groups are calling for the complete abolition of the GEL 300 duty-free limit, claiming it creates unfair competition for domestic retailers. The Free Business Association rejects those arguments, saying removing the threshold would not reduce capital outflows, but would instead force consumers to purchase the same imported goods through local intermediaries at markups of 200–300%.
The association also argues that eliminating the exemption would primarily benefit large businesses while hurting small enterprises and individual consumers who rely on international online shopping. It urged the Ministry of Finance to base any decision on current economic conditions and public interest, maintaining that increasing the duty-free threshold is both economically justified and necessary.
