Sole Traders Get Ready For Strike

Sole traders are in a difficult situation, because the purchasing power of the population is vanishing, and the taxes are very high.

The chairman of the organizing committee on creation of the Belarusian trade union of sole traders “Razam” Iryna Yaskevich and a sole trader from Polatsk Hennadz Berdzianiou talk on the problems and prospects of the Belarusian business, the website of the United Civil Party informs.

“Authorities treat us as criminals. We are constantly humiliated”, — the businessman Hennadz Berdzianiou said.

“This is the policy of the Polatsk authorities, this is an attempt to replenish the budget and there is no other excuse. How can I manage to sell things here in such a short period of time when purchasing power of the population is at zero point. The problem of small business now is that people can not even pay the rent. We have to end this deadlocked situation“, - Iryna adds.

Sole traders are outraged not only by the latest amendments to the law concerning small business, but also by other innovations in the legislation, which do not allow Belarusians to live a normal life.

“Not only sole traders suffer from the actions of the authorities, but also mothers who are raising children and who have nowhere to go at all. Women of pre-retirement and retirement age are affected as well. And it is not a secret that the maximum retirement allowance is Br1,600,000. This pension is beggarly“, – Yaskevich continues.

The sole traders have declared that if the problem was not solved before the New Year, they would not go to work.

“The strike is a forced necessity”, - they say.

We remind, that 500 sole traders of Polatsk market went on strike to protest against mass inspections performed by The Tax Inspectorate and The Department for fighting against economic crimes at noon on October 16. In the district tax office the businessmen were warned that inspections would be continued. The authorities have also demand the sole traders to provide special certificates for their goods which, considering that Russian wholesale deports, where the majority of Belarusian sole traders buy their goods, deal without certificates, has put small businesses into a hard situation.