Private traders: It’s pointless to sell Belarusian goods

Brest private entrepreneurs are disappointed by the meeting with officials.

Brest private entrepreneurs, representatives of tax inspection and regional executive committee have discussed the draft law on certification of goods, which comes into force on July 1. However, the businessmen and representatives of the state have failed to find common ground, Brestskaya gazeta informs.

The seminar on explaining the norms of the draft law “On selling the goods of the light industry by private entrepreneurs” has taken place on May 5 in the office of the Union of Entrepreneurs of Brest region. Among the participants of the discussion there were private entrepreneurs, chairmen of the councils of city markets, the head of the entrepreneurship department of economy committee of Brest regional executive committee Syarhei Yurkevich, the head of the taxation department of the Taxes and Dues Inspection in Brest region Ihar Rudakou, the head of the certification department of Brest Standartization, metrology and certification center Halina Yakushevich, as well as representatives of Belimport and Brestobuvtorg.

However the meeting could not be called productive. Once again businessmen tried to explain that in its present form the decree is to do more harm than good. Their interlocutors just shrugged in response – it is impossible to change the draft law now.

But it has turned out that the reality is harsher than theory. Firstly, it is forbidden to sell the stock of certified goods after March 1, 2015. The complaints that private entrepreneurs mostly sell season goods, and it is impossible to predict how much would be left by March, is impossible, were taken no notice of. You can use it yourself if you have not sold it. Secondly, sellers in Russia, where goods are mostly bought, often do not have any documents at all themselves. But even if the seller offers documents, a private entrepreneur is to pay the VAT when importing the goods to Belarus, which is 20% of its cost.

As for wholesale depots, their work has not been got on the right track yet, though there are less than 2 months until the implementation of the decree. Besides, as said by entrepreneurs, their work with depots turns them into end sellers of the offered goods, as in fact the choice is taken away from entrepreneurs.

“The gist of free enterprise is competition, it’s when I sell the things my neighbour at the market does not have,” explained one of the businessmen. “And I choose myself the goods I think would be popular this season. And we do not know what the product selection would be offered by wholesale depots.”

“You should understand, if all Brest private entrepreneurs go to Obuvtorg now and take the same goods, everyone would sell the same. So before you write decrees, make large depots with the goods where I could go and choose the things I need,” Alena Kustus, the chair of the council of one of city markets, said. The answer by Syarhei Yurkevich came as a surprise: “And do you know how much it would cost?!”

Then Yurkevich offered a highly bizarre idea: either to make advance payment for the goods which businessmen had not seen at all, or to create a wholesale firm together themselves. Vendors were not happy hearing such proposals, naturally.

Not only range of goods, but prices for goods delivered by state wholesalers have raised questions. Mikalai Shrub, director of the state shoe trade organisation Brestobuvtorg, offered several dozens of pairs of children footwear, but it turned out that today some vendors sell similar goods at almost the same price at which the state proposes to buy.

“This meeting is useless,” Mikalai Batyasheu summed up. “How these wholesale depots would be created, when they have no money? It is unknown. No one listens to businessmen. Back in April we held a forum in Minsk, and private entrepreneurs from all parts of Belarus took part in it. Our common opinion was: this decree would bring nothing but harm.”

Photo: bymedia.net