OREANDA-NEWS. January 19, 2009. In 2009, 52 priority measures to liberalize the conditions of economic activity will be implemented in Belarus. The plan of measures is prepared by the Government together with the Presidential Administration. It includes 12 sections that cover the main areas of economic and social development of the country, reported the Official website www.government.by.

The plan includes measures aimed at improving tax and customs legislation, property and land relations, price and antimonopoly regulations, administrative and technical procedures.

It also encompasses measures to simplify the certification procedures and procedures of design, construction and commissioning of objects; measures to improve the investment activity, develop the financial market of the country, regulate monetary and banking operations, stimulate the labour market and encourage the development of self-employment.

As far as the tax and customs legislation is concerned, measures to simplify the tax system, streamline the calculation and payment of customs duties will be introduced. These measures envisage lowered tax burden at the expense of cancelled current taxes and levies (including local ones), simplified way of calculation and payment of certain customs duties, increased tax payment periods and introduction of a national automatic system of electronic export declaration.

The amendments to the general part of the Tax Code of the Republic of Belarus will allow treating all discrepancies in favour of the taxpayer. The special part of this Code will enumerate the minimum list of taxes and levies, taxpayers and taxable assets, tax rates and privileges, clear procedures of tax calculation, declaration and payment.

The measures in the area of property and land relations include the optimized rental value for immovable property, improved procedures of holding auctions, adjusted hypothecary relations, free access to the information on property the use of which is restricted by loan obligations.

The improved price and antimonopoly regulation will allow exporters with currency earnings on their accounts to use them as advance payments to buy raw materials and parts necessary for further export production.

The number of administrative and technical procedures will be reduced in the area of transportation, state registration (re-registration) of medical goods and appliances. The number of procedures of the state sanitary inspection will be cut (from 17 to 8) as well as the number of export/import procedures. The amount of payments, that are not customs duties, will be optimized.

The certification activity, construction, sanitary, and fire regulations will be simplified. Thus, the terms of pendency of certificate applications will be 5 days instead of 10.

The economic liberalization measures include the improvement of procedures related to design, construction and commissioning of objects. The related paperwork will be simplified. The restrictions for the construction of gas stations will be lifted; the procedures of choosing contractors will be streamlined.

With a view to attracting more investment, no taxes will be levied on the profits of non-residents received from Eurobonds and syndicated loans. The taxes on the non-residents’ profits gained from providing syndicated loans together with Belarusian banks will be amended.

Foreign investors will be able to use services of foreign design companies for developing design and budget documentation. Oblast executive committees and the Minsk City Council will be authorized to sign international investment agreements on behalf of the Republic of Belarus.

Some restrictions regarding the bonuses for heads of enterprises will be removed. The heads of state-run enterprises will no longer have to obtain permissions for business trips abroad. Employers will have more freedom to determine the size and types of encouragement payments included in the production costs.

Measures meant to improve the business environment focus attention on the creation of conditions for self-employment of individuals, including the expansion of the number of craft activities and permission to carry out certain activities in living premises, for instance, on the ground floor of apartment buildings.

The legal status of a holding will be finalized, Belarusian venture companies will be set up, and bookkeeping operations will be brought in line with international standards.

The implementation of this plan is aimed at stepping up the economic activity, including the development of entrepreneurship and raising the investment attractiveness of the Republic of Belarus.