The director of the Union of Employers of Serbia, Srdjan Drobnjakovic, said today that the situation in the economy is worrying due to the uncertainty about the duration of the pandemic and that it will be especially difficult next year because the payment of deferred taxes and contributions on salaries should start on January 4.
“I am afraid for small companies with up to a dozen employees, whether they will be able to repay deferred taxes and contributions on salaries from the beginning of 2021, even though they are divided into 24 installments. It could extinguish them or force them into the gray zone,” said Drobnjakovic.
He added that the Government of Serbia has not yet responded to the requests of the Union of Employers, which asked to reduce the value added tax (VAT) on food from 20 to ten percent for catering and tourism and equalize uncategorized tourist facilities when granting aid, apartments, hostels, ethno houses, etc.) with categorized.
The union also demanded that the introduction of new taxes be stopped, that half of the salary be paid for employees who cannot be paid their full salary due to the drop in turnover, that the state continue lending through the guarantee scheme and speed up the approval of liquidity loans from the Development Fund.
Drobnjakovic said that it is inadmissible for the Development Fund to consider the request for a liquidity loan for six months, and that even now new levies are coming to pay new obligations as an environmental tax, which for large companies amounts to several hundred thousand dinars.
“The only good thing as a consequence of the corona virus is that due to transport problems, large companies have started procuring parts on the domestic market from small and medium-sized companies that are of better quality than those imported from China and other countries,” Drobnjakovic said.
The owner of the restaurant “Milin ethno corner” in New Belgrade, Goran Kurtes, said that the state’s help to the economy from the two “packages” was extremely important for the survival of the catering sector, but that a new one would be welcome to keep workers and survive.
“I am not in favor of a street protest, but we are asking the state to show understanding in the situation when the banks put us on the ‘black list’ and do not approve any loans,” Kurtes said.
He added that when they see the code of the activity “tourism and catering” in the banks, they immediately refuse any conversation. I have the impression that it would be easier for them to see robbers in their premises than caterers with a request for a loan,” said Kurtesh.
He assessed that the state can at least help them by appealing to banks to approve loans in order to bridge the crisis period.
“One of the solutions could be for the state to close all catering facilities for a certain period, but to write off duties for that period,” said Kurtesh. Compared to last year, the turnover, as he said, dropped by 70-80 percent, but he has not fired any of the 20 workers yet.
He said that the state should not increase their fees in this crisis situation because he received to pay an environmental tax of 5,000 dinars.
“Not only has the number of guests dropped, but so have orders, so instead of two or three tours of drinks, they are now barely looking for one,” said Kurtesh.
He added that the guests asked him if he would reduce food prices if the Government reduced the VAT on food, and that he answered that he wanted to reduce them if utility fees, electricity bills, rental prices and other claims were reduced.
“My family and 20 other families live from the restaurant, and the income is such that now I can barely find a loan with the help of a friend to pay my salaries,” said Kurtesh, N1 reports.
