New measures to help businessmen are necessary because there is a danger that a large number of small and medium enterprises will stop doing business, or move to the gray zone, because they have nowhere to pay taxes, according to the Union of Employers of Serbia (UPS).
“With the new measures, the state shows that it understands that danger. Where things do not go as expected, loans from the Development Fund have been announced. The requests of many owners of catering facilities have been rejected, and a number of them have not received an answer since April,” UPS director Srdjan Drobnjakovic told Biznis.rs.
As he notes, since the beginning of the crisis, the state has shown great understanding for the situation in which companies are. The measures he is taking, financially speaking, are completely within the real possibilities and it is difficult to ask for much more than that, explains Drobnjakovic and points out that the most difficult situation is in the sector of small and medium enterprises.
“I remind you that the obligations from last year have been postponed, but they are now coming due. Old contracts with business partners have been completed or are being completed, and new business arrangements cannot be made due to the situation in which the whole world finds itself. If we look at the sector, the most difficult situation is in catering and tourism, but other branches, such as passenger traffic, are also seriously shaken,” says Drobnjakovic.
He says that due to the overall situation, the proposal of the Union of Employers is for the state to help the small and medium enterprises sector this year with three minimum wages for employees and a new postponement of taxes and contributions for six months.
“The situation is difficult in catering, that is why the Union of Employers is launching an initiative to equate hostels and ethno houses, as well as confectioners with other catering facilities, when granting state aid to the economy. We also asked for a reduction in the lease of state-owned vessels, which are leased by caterers,” Drobnjakovic emphasizes, RTV reports.
