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Belarusian Language Society denied office rent discount

 

The Francisak Skaryna Belarusian Language Society (BLS) has not been included in a list of non-governmental organizations entitled to low office rent rates.

The Council of Ministers, by its April 30 directive, entitled 195 organizations to a 0.1 rent multiplier, mostly sports organizations, such as federations of golf, table tennis, taekwondo, fencing, basketball, biathlon, etc.

The list also includes the Communist Party of Belarus and a number of charities.

On Thursday, the Francisak Skaryna Belarusian Language Society appealed for public donations.

On April 1, the rent rate for the Society’s office on Rumyantsava was raised by 60 percent to 9.8 million rubels ($1,130) a month, the organization explained in a statement, adding that it also had to pay for the telephone, utility and postal services.

“Despite the fact that many Belarusian citizens had appealed to the Presidential Administration and its property management department to preserve a low rent rate for the BLS, we have not received a favorable reply,” the statement said. “We need to collect 10 million rubels in donations and membership fees every month in order to retain our Minsk office in these conditions.” // BelaPAN