Business activity needs attention

A dialogue between public authorities and entrepreneurs is open countrywide – initiated by the Prosecutor General's Office and the Republican Federation of Entrepreneurs 

Businessmen all over the country have an opportunity to talk to public prosecutors and discuss the problematic legal aspects of doing business. Sergei Khmaruk, the Deputy Prosecutor General, comments, “In Belarus, much is being done to minimise problems and create comfortable conditions for doing business, while removing unnecessary administration. On the other hand, we face new challenges: for example, this year, new elements of crimes related to tax fraud and evasion of insurance fee payments have been introduced as a criminal liability.”

At the same time, as noted by Mr. Khmaruk, although the state meets businessmen halfway, helps solve their problems and supports in their activity, any attempt to finance, participate in anti-state campaigns, or encroach on public and state security will be severely suppressed.

In turn, Andrei Kopytok, the Chairman of the Supreme Co-ordinating Council of the Republican Confederation of Entrepreneurship, asserts a weak support for businesses in the regions is a sore point which needs to be resolved. “Starting from September 17th, we will start organising round table discussions countrywide – especially in the regions which boast a strong economic potential. Sadly, there is a lack of support for small and medium-sized businesses there. At the same time, the Confederation has concluded a number of agreements and initiated regular appointments with the Prosecutor General's Office – to consider all the issues that businessmen outline as problematic and to find a common solution.”