Anatoly Shumchanka:There’s no easy solution to entrepreneurs’ problem; the state ignores our appeals

The Republican Public Association Perspective announces the impossibility of working in accordance with the new rules, but the Trade Ministry explains markets’ standstill with new-year’s break.

According to the data received by the Republican Public Association Perspective starting from January 1 more than 90% of places at markets and shopping centers in the country were closed. The Trade Ministry voices a different index, which is also not a small one – 68% of non-working retail places. Well, officials and entrepreneurs have a different view on standstill among individual entrepreneurs.

Entrepreneurs are talking about the impossibility of fulfilling the terms of the Decree No. 222 that came into effect on 1 January 2016 and that bans selling products of light industry, imported from the countries of the Customs Union without the accompanying documents. At the same time, the majority of Russian suppliers refuse to issue documents on the origin of products or provide fake certificates, which leads to fines and confiscation of goods from the Belarusian individual entrepreneurs.

The Ministry of Trade explains the absence of individual entrepreneurs at markets with hard frost, Christmas holidays, and vacations. At the same time the Ministry of Trade states that during the first week of 2016 5.5% of individual entrepreneurs, who pay flax tax, submitted applications on termination of their work.

In the interview with the “EuroBelarus” Information Service Anatoly Shumchanka, the leader of the RPA Perspective claims that the words of the Trade Ministry are “lies and hypocrisy”.

- People simply cannot work. The Trade Ministry has to understand that weekends and holidays is the best time for earning money. The statements issued by the Trade Ministry about the holidays as the reason for abstaining from work are lies and hypocrisy. People didn’t come to work because they cannot work after the Decree No.222 came into effect.

- The Trade Ministry is talking about the problem of 37000 individual entrepreneurs, who pay flax tax, whereas Perspective believes that it will be hundreds of thousands of people who will suffer from new regulations…

- The Trade Ministry only counts those who pay flat tax, but we should count everyone – those, who work at markets, those, who work in accordance with the simplified taxation system, and private unitary enterprises, too. All of them are at risk today.

- But how many entrepreneurs exactly are at risk, by estimation of the Perspective?

- These are not the figures we should be talking about today. But let me say that more than 120 thousand business entities work at markets and in shopping centers today, and if we count their families and close ones then the number of affected from this standstill even more increases.

- Have the authorities given at least some reaction to the events and appeals submitted by the Perspective?

- No. It was me who took initiative as the leader of the Perspective, but no reaction followed and no moves in solving entrepreneurs’ issues happened; only an absolute wall of lack of understanding and withdrawal from problems. According to the opinion of the officials, these are long holidays that are to blame for no entrepreneurs at the retail places; they see no objective reasons for admitting that the problem does exist.

- What’s next? What is the Perspective’s forecast?

- I can make no forecasts – we will have an Anticrisis Forum on January 11, but there’ll be no easy solutions, that’s for sure. I don’t know what’s going to happen next; the situation is changing every day…

- You have invited officials from the government to your Forum; do you hope that they will respond to the invitation taking into account that they previously ignored the problems you talk about?

- No, I don’t have any particular hope for the officials; I only hope that entrepreneurs will go till the end and withstand the pressure that exists today. People have no place to go; the state can offer no alternative to entrepreneurship today.