Krasnodar, 4 June. Our today’s guest is Igor Yakimchik, Entrepreneurs’ Ombudsman in Krasnodar krai.
Q.: How many applications has your office reviewed of late?
A.: Now, it’s really hard time for the business community. The number of applications has multiplied. Over the past month, we received over a thousand requests and proposals. Representatives of the business community addressed us asking about credit and tax deferrals, governmental support of business enterprises, including additional activities in the list of working industries, expanding the list of the businesses suffered from the current situation affected by the spread of the coronavirus infection, etc.
Q.: What kind of support measures must be offered by the government?
A.: The authorities should either arrange direct support of entrepreneurs, or ensure resumption of their work with due observation of all safety and disinfection measures. In the latter case, Rospotrebnadzor (the Russian consumer protection agency) must be controlling each separate object. Such joint efforts will help businesses return to the market and begin to restore the economic stability of the region.
Q.: Despite the permission to resume work from June 1, not all companies are hurrying to do so. Why?
A.: The resort industry cannot see themselves adapted to the new rules. Now the federal government is working on the rules of reopening the resorts, beaches and cruise voyages. But we understand that the conditions that will be told to public catering companies or hotels would be very costly. Besides, these companies would have only two or three months of productive work this summer. For instance, to disinfect one room in a hotel, its owner should buy a special device which costs 12,000 roubles. But their production has not yet been set up properly, and there is a gap in the market. It would take businesspersons a month or two to get the credit to buy such devices and find the suplier – so for many of them, it would be absolutely futile to open, because they would not be able to cover all their losses within a month’s work.
Q.: What should entrepreneurs or authorities pay attention to, to be able to overcome the crisis?
A.: Our position is simple: the business must be given an opportunity to earn money. In this respect, it is public procurements that may become a life-ring for small and midsize businesses. We, together with other structures, did put forward this initiative at the governmental level. As a result, now the government covers 50% of the advanced payment for a delivery to be performed by a small or medium business. Besides, this system helps organise other companies around these small and midsize businesses to render some accompanying services. This is a way-out. Now the state must pay attention to it.
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