OREANDA-NEWS. January 19, 2011. Prime Minister of Belarus Mikhail Myasnikovich has issued instructions to take effective measures to protect interests of those that buy products from online stores.

Experts believe that the number of online stores in Belarus increases by a hundred every year. Their average monthly turnover is estimated to be at least Br30 billion.

However, online stores lack full-fledged and detail records of the commodity and cash flow. It is virtually impossible to verify how much merchandise has been sold. The situation entails lower tax revenues and encourages shady dealings.

Web shoppers face certain difficulties, too. For instance, some shops refuse to issue receipts or provide their customers with forged receipts. Customers are lied about qualities of products. Customers cannot control whether the goods they get are the goods they have ordered.

Meanwhile, in mid-2009 Belarusian software developers offered a software solution to record sales of online stores. The system is believed to be able to provide additional security to web shoppers, to boost web sales and to reduce shady dealings and increase tax revenues.  

Potential investors are eager to spend around Br1 billion on creating the system, however, no real progress has been made so far.

Mikhail Myasnikovich has commissioned Vice Premier Sergei Rumas and heads of interested ministries and agencies with taking additional measures to protect interests of web shoppers, including by means of introducing the said system to track online sales.