Lukashenko instructed to once again explain new rules of work to individual entrepreneurs
Individual entrepreneurs should once again be explained the new rules of work and how they should move towards civilised trade or production – as noted by the President of Belarus during a meeting on the socio-political situation and the state of crime in the country
The Head of State recalled that from this year, individual entrepreneurs must work according to the new rules. But some entrepreneurs have questions regarding this, not everyone fully realised the need for innovation. Therefore, Aleksandr Lukashenko instructed officials to talk to entrepreneurs and explain everything in detail once again, “It is necessary once again, Igor Petrovich [Igor Sergeyenko, the Head of the Belarus President Administration], to instruct the Government to take control, so that people are informed of our policy towards individual entrepreneurs. We have decided that individual entrepreneurs should rise to a higher level and, like all individuals and legal entities, pay taxes. These exceptions and other things that individual entrepreneurs have are nonsense. Some individual entrepreneurs (we looked at them) have become much more bourgeois than those who own factories and plants. Therefore, there were already distortions in this area.”
According to Aleksandr Lukashenko, the changes for individual entrepreneurs were announced in advance, and this category of business had the opportunity to prepare for them. A certain time was given so that individual entrepreneurs ‘could calmly transform their business, rise to a higher level and pay taxes like everyone else’.
“We gave them a time lag,” Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasised. “We didn’t make a decision all at once. We decided that we would move quietly within 1.5-2 years [towards new rules]. It’s January 1st, we’re taking the first step. Some individual entrepreneurs became agitated that allegedly they are being pressed again. Nobody presses them. It’s just the plan that was previously announced. Therefore, it is necessary to meet again and talk with them. This is our creation. They are not enemies. In those days, they took on a decent burden on them, carrying and selling something in these bags and sacks. We gave rise to them; there’re about 200,000 in our country. It is necessary to deal with them in a civilised, human way. We just need to explain to them how we will move them towards civilised trade or production.”
The President once again drew attention to the fact that innovations do not apply to craftsmen who make something exclusively with their own hands and sell it, “These are unique people whom we must support. The rest should pay taxes as expected. We will adjust this within a year, without offending anyone. No one will take away from you what you have earned today unless, of course, the law was broken.”
