Sole traders allowed selling goods without documents until January 1, 2016

Individual entrepreneurs are allowed to sell consumer goods without accompanying documents which confirm their purchase, until January 1, 2016.

It was said by Belarusian Premier Andrei Kabyakou following the results of the meeting of Alyaksandr Lukashenka with market traders held on March 17 in Expobel shopping mall, BelTA informs.

“Work without documents is extended until January 1, 2016. After January 1, 2016 the trade is only possible with accompanying documents. The rate of the VAT is to be increased from 2 to 4 over the year three times in equal shares,” the head of the government informed.

“There will be no grace period anymore! Even now we are giving too long respites,” Alyaksandar Lukashenka stressed.

We remind that one of the key issues of the meeting was making amendments to the notorious Decree No.222 which displeased sole traders. Thousands of traders are facing bankruptcy.

Under the document, March 1 marks the end of the period, during which sole traders could sell leftover stock of consumer goods imported from the countries of the Customs Union without certificates. Many times businessmen tried to explain the authorities that they cannot meet the requirements on objective reasons, but their voice was ignored. As a result, more than 80% of individual entrepreneurs didn’t work in shopping centres and marketing places on March 1.

After that representatives of relevant agencies finally noticed the great number of sole traders and now they are trying to change some paragraphs of the decree.