ONT TV Channel Ignored Entrepreneurs in Brest
Traders of the Brest market TSUM invited correspondents of the ONT TV channel to express their point of view on the situation concerning the market of goods, which in fact ceased its work after the New Year holidays.
The entrepreneurs are outraged by news on state TV that says that, allegedly, there is nothing scary at markets, and official representatives assure TV viewers that entrepreneurs simply decided to close down for holidays. Siarhei Maltsau, an entrepreneur from Brest, says that such news misinform the public. The real trouble is that many entrepreneurs stopped working because of Edict No 222, which allows selling only the goods that have accompanying certificate of quality (which many entrepreneurs fail to get from suppliers). However, when the entrepreneurs from Brest appealed to the ONT TV to speak out their viewpoint, they heard that the topic did not deserve attention.
“In countries where 90% of sole traders at markets and in shopping centers stopped their work, wouldn’t TV notice this issue?” – ask the activists. “This again confirms that there is no freedom of expression, and you won’t hear the opinion of the very entrepreneurs on state TV.”
Edict No 222, enforced since January 1, 2016, demands that goods of light industry imported from countries of the Customs Union cannot be sold unless they have a certificate of quality. Entrepreneurs had a span of time to sell the rest of their goods without the necessary documents imported into Belarus before July 1, 2014.
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