Belarusian Union of Businessmen – in 2005 Belarus lost 30 thousand businessmen

In 2005 Belarus lost 30 thousand businessmen – this is almost one fifth of the overall number at the start of the year. Yet another twenty thousand petty businessmen are being liquidated, reports Radio Liberty.
Now Belarus has around 186 thousand registered petty businessmen, including those that have ceased their operations and are being liquidated. According to the deputy chair of the Belarusian Union of Businessmen Ryhor Rylkou, they will continue to go out of business: “In 2007 the regulation that bans the sale of perfumes will take effect. From 1 January the same 2007 the kiosks at public transport stops will be shut down. All of the vegetables sold at such points will be transferred to stationary locations organized in each block. After the introduction of 16-17 hypermarkets in the country, and another 6-7 additional hypermarkets in Minsk, there will naturally be an obstacle: the price factor”.
Also, the list of items allowed to be sold on a market can be substantially limited, says Mr. Rylkou. Imported confectionary and footwear will also be affected. Generally, officials often impose on the petty businessmen home-produced goods.
Iryna Naidovich, a reviewer of the Indyvidualny pradprymalnik newspaper, says that the number of petty businessmen has not been increasing for quite a while now, which is a fact registered even by the Ministry of Economy: “The number of businessmen is the same as when the fourth decree was adopted. They do not even expect any further growth and recommend that the trading businessmen transfer into the service sector or become incorporated".
But the number of legal entities also remains the same. An common person who does not have any connections with the authorites may not do that, says the former businessman Mikalai, who has not been able to shut down his small company for the fourth year in a row: "People typically establish connections – either in executive committees, or with some former deputies. In principles, they help each other. The private initiative of a common mortal, I believe, will not produce the result wanted by that person".