The Union of Employers of Serbia announced that, together with the Serbian Chamber of Commerce, it sent a proposal to the Government of Serbia yesterday on five measures to help the economy in the conditions of the continued crisis due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Union reminds that no country, company, or individual has been left untouched by this crisis, and Serbia should preserve its economy through partnership of all interested parties and at the same time improve competitiveness.
The Union of Employers of Serbia and the Chamber of Commerce propose to the Government of Serbia:
– reduction of VAT in the hotel and catering sector for food and beverages to 10 percent. These areas are the hardest hit by the pandemic, and otherwise all EU countries and the region have already introduced a reduced rate in this sector.
– further delays in the payment of taxes and contributions on wages, or their partial write-off in the SME sector. The data indicate that this part of the companies is still waiting for the biggest blow of the crisis, because the business revenues are traditionally the lowest at the beginning of the year.
– suspension of the introduction of new taxes and duties at the national and local level
– continuation of the guarantee scheme for liquidity support and investment investments for the SME sector, as well as the possibility of a new delay in the repayment of liabilities to banks on the basis of loans and credit products
– compensation up to the full amount of the employee’s salary, which amounts to a maximum of 50 percent of the salary in case the employer does not need to hire a full-time employee due to the reduced volume of work. This measure should apply to all economic operators.
“The Union of Employers of Serbia and the Chamber of Commerce support the Government’s efforts to help companies and individuals overcome the crisis. It is necessary to find a balance between the protection of life and health of the population and the preservation of the economy, which is a precondition for having financial resources for investing in the health system, procurement of equipment and medical devices,” said Srdjan Drobnjakovic, director of the Union of Employers of Serbia.
The Union of Employers will continue to monitor the development of the crisis caused by Covid 19, as it has been doing since March this year, and to propose measures that it considers optimal for preserving the economy and improving the business environment, Nova Ekonomija reports.
