Entrepreneurs massively seized goods

Individual entrepreneurs cannot get the truth on the situation with the sale of residual products.

Chairman of ROO Perspektiva Anatol Shumchanka told charter97.org that inspections and seizures of goods from individual entrepreneurs increased across the country, but officials did not even intend to amend the sensational Decree No. 222, according to which starting from March 1, businessmen would not be able to sell goods without supporting documents, that, in fact, would mean the actual cessation of work for the majority.

- Less than a month left before the X-day. What will happen on March 1?

Actually, what other entrepreneurs said yesterday was not exactly right. Not a half, but 99 per cent of businessmen will become unemployed since March 1. Here is the situation: many people from other regions call to me and inform that there has allegedly been ordered to conduct checking. There are a great number of seizures; they confiscate goods without documents even on the way from a locker to a trading place. Yesterday there were two seizures in Pinsk. Also I had a call from Kopyl. While confiscation they were said: "Say thank you we do not take your van". It's "fun".

- ROO Perspectiva addressed the Ministry of Trade and Economy, as well as Lukashenka's Administration asking to assist and clarify the situation about the current problem: the extension of residual stock sale without accompanying documents. Is this issue clear now?

Since January 27 it has been told that according to Iryna Markevich, Deputy Minister for Trade, three options for putting-off the residual stock sale have been considered. I asked my colleagues from the Perspectiva to post the information on our site. They ask: "What is the source? There is already nothing!". It turned out that first, she said it and then this information was removed from a publication.

I called the Department of Enterprise, they also confirmed the information on allegedly prepared decision on stocks. We were definitely waiting for an answer and thinking that everything would be all right: it will be possible to sell stocks. But I had some doubts and decided to check it all up once again. The Ministry of Taxes and Duties developed that draft law, so it was reasonable to think that it would adjust the law. Then I made a call there to talk to Tatstsiana Piatrenka. I ask her: is it possible to get the draft for public discussion? She says: there is no draft and no one will discuss any adjustments. Decree No. 222 is valid and stocks must be sold until March 1. To my question why Ministry of Economy says the opposite, she sent me to ask them.

Today the situation is as follows: The Ministry of Taxes and Duties categorically refuses to cooperate, our organization has no draft. That day I called the Ministry of Economy asking to meet. They wrote down my number, but said nothing. Then I called the Deputy Minister of Economy, but did not manage to talk to him. Therefore we sent such a request.

–What does it mean? Do officials ignore this issue? Or play for time?

- It's hard to say. The only answer is that there is no draft law. If we take the current situation, we may see no prerequisites for officials to develop something. Otherwise, we would have been invited to the meetings and somehow provided with drafts, as it was before. Before the Decree No. 222 was issued, we had a bunch of its drafts. And here we have nothing. So, they should inform entrepreneurs: today there are no prerequisites for extension of residual stock sale period and no one is going to do it. But if there are officials who have another point of view, apparently, they have little influence.

-Business Forum will be held soon. What is on the agenda?

- All the same. We held the Forum on February 16 to express our views and to convince authorities that these issues should be resolved. We need an indefinite extension to sell residual stock, which, by the way, coincides with the position of the Ministry of Economy, as well as moratorium on seizure and inspections. The main objective is to ensure that the March 1 will not be a collapse in business. Today entrepreneurs say if the term is not extended, they will have to go on a long-term leave and so on. It is not what we want. We want to see that money for rent is paid, as well as for taxes, for everything to be stable and officials do not bring the situation to the point of no return. It should be fractured.

It should be reminded that there was a conflict situation in the Southern market of Hrodna. As it became known, tax officers conducted an unscheduled inspection. They wanted to confiscate goods without showing appropriate documents. On Thursday tax authorities published the explanation that the trader did not have documents for goods and a warrant was prepared by tax inspection of Leninski district.