Shumchanka:1200 entrepreneurs attend forum in Minsk

On February 16, Minsk hosted a forum of entrepreneurs organized by the republican public association Perspektyva. It was attended not only by the businessmen from Minsk, but also their colleagues from Homel, Hrodna, Magiliou, Barysau, Brest, Pinsk. The conference hall of Belarus hotel gathered about 1,200 people - still, it did not fit all of entrepreneurs. They listened to the speeches in the hallway. At the event, there were representatives of the Ministry of Economy, the Ministry of Taxes and Duties, and Brest, Hrodna and Vitsebsk Regional Executive Committees.

All these entrepreneurs wanted to hear how they should work from March 1, 2015. According to the presidential decree 222 "On the light industry shortages", entrepreneurs cannot sell goods without special documents - certificates or declarations of quality- starting from that day. At the forum, the situation was very nervous - in the hall were constantly heard questions to officials, calls for street protests and questions about future of entrepreneurs?

The leader of the Perspektyva, Anatol Shumchanka, believes that the forum was very successful: "It was the best one in 5 years."

"Today it is time for officials who gave Lukashenka the decree 222 to sign to be responsible, says Shumchanka. And also I would like to know the name of the official who convinced everyone not to extend the deadline for selling the leftovers (before March 1, 2015 the entrepreneur could sell the surplus goods without documents, and that period of was going to be prolonged, but officials changed their minds - Euroradio). According to our information, all the officials - from  Ministry of Trade, regional executive committees - supported the idea to prolong the deadline after March 1, 2015, but someone convinced them otherwise. Now we need to wait for the moment when we will know who was right. We will not call for anyone, let the time be the judge. No one pushing anyone, we're expressing our opinion. We only ask for urgent talks with the participation of the entrepreneurs and the authorities."

The forum adopted a resolution. Entrepreneurs require the authorities to introduce a moratorium on the decree 222, the possibility to sell the surplus products indefinitely. Also, entrepreneurs are asking to stop checks and seizure of goods, arrange a meeting with President Lukashenka and hold first national convention of entrepreneurs.

According to the Euroradio, on March 1, entrepreneurs from the regions are not going to go to work, pay rent and taxes.

Photo: BelaPAN