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Small business activist accuses authorities of «economic genocide»

Small business activist Anatol Zmitrovich has denounced the authorities’ treatment of sole entrepreneurs, saying that it is tantamount to “economic genocide” against them.

Speaking at a news conference in Minsk on Tuesday, Mr. Zmitrovich said that the role of a sole entrepreneur had been reduced to that of a seller.

This year, both the Presidential Administration and the Council of Ministers kept giving the runaround to a proposal for allowing sole entrepreneurs to hire people other than family members, he said.

“Ten business associations drew up an analytical note and sent it to the president together with their proposals, asking him to lift the employment ban on entrepreneurs,” said Mr. Zmitrovich. “For five years already, entrepreneurs have not been able to go abroad and sell Belarusian goods, because they have no one to look after their trading place.”

Small business activists suggest that the government allow sole entrepreneurs to sell foreign goods in Belarus and buy domestic goods with the Belarusian-rubel proceeds to sell them abroad and buy foreign goods for Belarus with the foreign currency proceeds, the activist said. “This is a very attractive scheme. We have proposed it [to the government] but to no avail.”

Uladzimir Karahin, chairman of the Minsk City Union of Entrepreneurs and Employers, said that the authorities had fulfilled only 40 percent of an action plan adopted in pursuance of Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s December 31, 2010 economic liberalization directive.

“A fight was launched against those who wanted to quickly report on the implementation of the directive’s 26 paragraphs,” he said. “We had to send a letter to the prime minister and ask him for talks. The leaders of all business associations signed the letter. At a meeting, the cabinet heard a damning report on the performance of governmental that had failed to act on the directive.” //BelaPAN