Sole Traders To Authorities: "Get Out, You Cocked-Up!"

With such a slogan, businessmen will turn to the authorities during the March of disgruntled Belarusians 2.0 in Minsk on October 21.

Former businessman, activist Valiantsin Trokski, who repeatedly took part in the protest rallies, stated this in his comment to the BNC press service.

– Tell us, do you work now and where? What is the situation with your salary, the salaries of your friends?

– I do not have a permanent job. And here are the reasons – the negative experience of entrepreneurship in the conditions created by the government, the pre-retirement age with the resulting additional problems of employment, and also the humiliating salary proposed when hiring.

Friends and relatives, regardless of employment and wages, are dissatisfied with the deterioration of their material condition. Prices are rising, amounts of various payments are rising, new fees are being introduced. At that, salaries are growing much slower, and sometimes they are reduced. And this is in the situation when the declared official average statistical level of salaries (about 820 rubles) is far from the actual one. For example, my friend gets about 200 working as a watchman.

– Tell us more about your negative experience of entrepreneurship.

– I and my companion had to close down the first small company (LLC) for wholesale distribution of goods for industrial purposes. When the company's account activity reached an amount equivalent to about $ 18,000, an inspection came and, having shaken up a mountain of financial documents, found a dubious violation. The subsequent verbal demands to pay heavy fines and threats of other unpleasant consequences resembled a gang raid. The enterprise's activity was suspended, the employees were left without pay. An official written appeal on behalf of the firm to the examining authority with arguments in favor of the absence of violations remained unanswered. We decided to close the company. My second attempt of doing business was in the field of cargo transportation by motor transport, the third one – manufacturing of sidewalk tiles. All the attempts resulted in failures due to permanent and newly introduced, unsustained restrictions, extortions, working conditions, improperly changed by officials. And, the "control shot" was the restriction on hiring workers for sole traders.

Also the atmosphere of contemptuous attitude towards entrepreneurs as towards "lousy fleas", created by the ruler in the country, his bragging to shake hands with the last entrepreneur, caused adversely impact.

– Why do you think the Decree No. 3 was introduced? Why did the authorities suspend it in the spring and why do they return it now?

– The crass voluntarist policy and the medieval economy of the ruler and his power vertical have led the country to a huge financial deficit and loss of international authority. In terms of per capita, everyone, even a newborn citizen of Belarus, owes an equivalent of more than $ 4,000 already. The IMF didn’t give a loan. The Russian preferences are coming to the end. The collapse is imminent. The Decree No. 3 is an attempt to put the burden of the financial deficit on people’s shoulders, the desire to ensure a constant flow of money into the power holders’ pockets by actually establishing serfdom and appointing a dowry. The essence of the decree is a mass robbery.

The first attempt of a mass robbery was too straightforward and could be seen quite distinctly by everyone due to its open greed. As a result of the mass protests against the Decree No. 3, organized by opposition structures in Belarus this spring, the decree was suspended. The current version of the decree is the second attempt of a mass robbery, cunningly veiled under the term "self-employment", but it’s no less greedy. It can be seen that push has come to shove, if the government risks re-executing this decree.

– On October 21, the March of Disgruntled Belarusians 2.0 will be held in Minsk. Its demands are the abolition of the "decree on parasitism" and other illegal fees, the increase of salaries and pensions, the implementation of economic reforms. Will it be possible to achieve these aims?

– We will again declare our demands at the March in Minsk. The slogans will be as follows: "Cancel Decree No. 3! We Are Not Parasites!", "Decent Work For A Decent Salary!", "A Decent Government For Worthy People!", "Get Out, You Cocked-Up!" Everything will happen if there is a lot of us and if we are solid and in solidarity.