President meets with entrepreneurs

22 марта 2015

Belarus is now part of the Eurasian Union, which demands to trade only those products that have the relevant documents - certificates of quality. But not all entrepreneurs adhere to this rule.

The authorities have already made numerous concessions. According to the rules of the Customs Union it was necessary to have legalized trade before July, 1, 2014. The government decided to support the business and introduced 9-month respite which expired on March 1. But the problem remained: 17,000 entrepreneurs did not manage to sell the remains of the goods and find suppliers with documents.

The President met with entrepreneurs in order to discuss the existing situation. Head of State was greeted with applause. Until recently, entrepreneurs did not believe that he would come himself and listen without censorship of the officials.

For the President, three factors are important: he does not want to offend people and their families, provoke tax arrears or unemployment.

The decisions taken that day were simple, but categorical. All documents and certificates are obligatory since January 1. For the work without documents the VAT rate will be increased gradually in three stages. Plus distribution centers should be created by the Ministry of Trade.

Business and economists comment on the decision and say that it is an important concession.

Alexander Kalinin, chairman of the Belarusian Union of Entrepreneurs: "The most important thing is that the normal tax regime has been defined as well as the terms for entrepreneurs who should sell their goods and adapt to the new requirements. The decision was made taking into account the interests of small and large businesses and in general we are satisfied."

The most popular solution for entrepreneurs is now consolidation of capital. Within the last four years the number of small and medium businesses (it is from 16 to 250 employees) increased by almost 17%.

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