OREANDA-NEWS. October 26, 2009. The Belarusian government is not ready to equalize preferences for businesses exporting Belarusian products and those selling on the domestic market, the director of the entrepreneurship department with the Economy Ministry, Alexander Likhachevsky, told a news conference.

“We are working on equalizing business terms for corporate entities and individuals, and if we allow entrepreneurs better conditions on the home market, operating conditions will not be equal. If we give benefits to all, we will be unable to cover short budget revenues. We used to have ideas to equalize preferences for all when we considered draft ordinance #477, but we are not ready yet,” he said.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in late September approved by his ordinance #477 preferential conditions for entrepreneurs engaged in exports of Belarusian goods until July 1, 2010. The document introduces a simplified taxation mode, which includes a single sales tax paid to the budgets of

Belarusian regions and the city of Minsk, amounting to 35,000 Belarusian rubles (Br) per calendar month, in which the entrepreneur acquires Belarusian products. An additional tax will be imposed on entrepreneurs that exceed the limit equal to 100 standard sales tax volumes, and will amount to 10% of the excess declared sum.

The ordinance also introduces separate accounting and payment of taxes for entrepreneurs engaged in activities other than exports of Belarusian-made products.

Also, entrepreneurs are entitled to pay for Belarusian products in cash and exempted from the requirement to enter currency proceeds into special bank accounts.