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25.05.2022

Belarus' PM: Government takes necessary measures to support business

MINSK ( BelTA) – The government has taken necessary measures to support business in the current circumstances, Belarusian Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko said in an interview to Belarus 1 TV channel, BelTA has learned.

“We have both public and private sectors. We live by market laws. We have never underestimated the importance of private business for the national economy. It accounts for about 50 % of exports and shows very good added value figures. We are constantly doing what we can and what our resources allow in order to ensure a more comfortable environment in the current difficult conditions,” said Roman Golovchenko.

Belarus has adopted a comprehensive plan to support the economy. “It spells out and has already implemented a large number of solutions, which are aimed at supporting businesses and people. We have fixed the basic rental rate, which means the rent of offices and production facilities. We raised the threshold for duty-free imports in the mail. This reduces the burden on people at a time when there are disruptions in the supply of goods. You are welcome to order goods anywhere. A whole package of measures was taken in the areas that are much complained about – certification, confirmation of compliance. Certain administrative procedures have been simplified,” the prime minister said.

According to the Belarusian head of government, the topic of confrontation between business and government is largely exaggerated. “The so-called economists-relocators, who have not worked anywhere for 30 years, except for writing some pseudo-economic forecasts, regularly inflate the topic of unhappy business and evil government. In this way a certain background is formed. There is no country in the world where the government has not had some sort of dispute with entrepreneurs, because the tasks are slightly different. Entrepreneurs want all forms of state regulation removed, minimum taxes, and complete freedom to earn as much as they want. The government has other tasks – social equality, jobs, fair income, financing of social spending. Nevertheless, in the process of communication, both find a certain coincidence of interests. This is a normal, natural process of existence of the government and economic forces,” he stressed.

“We, of course, do not forget about business. But the calls of those relocators to urgently cancel everything and cut taxes are not based on anything, this is just economic populism,” said Roman Golovchenko.