DOBRUSH, 29 October (BelTA) – While talking to workers of Dobrush Paper Mill Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko answered a question about why the tax concession for apartment owners has to be abolished, BelTA has learned.
The government is considering the idea now. The president explained why taxation regulations need to be adjusted as a whole. Representatives of the private sector complained in the past that Belarusian tax regulations were complicated. “And I instructed the government to review these matters and make simple tax regulations. They will not be totally simple. You have to be an economist and an accountant in order to calculate all these taxes. But things should be simplified where it is possible. Other aspects should be looked at. Things need to be polished,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
In his words, the taxation of real estate was discussed among other things. “Rural Belarusians pay the land tax, the real estate tax, and the rest. But urban Belarusians stand aside for some reason. This matter was discussed, too. I don't know the tax rates but they won't generate much,” the Belarusian leader noted.
Aleksandr Lukashenko gave another reason why taxation regulations are being revised. “We are not even talking about justice. We have $2 billion in unexpected expenses at the end of the year due to the need to save people. We have free vaccination, free COVID-19 treatment. I don't want to say that everything is ideal in Belarus but it turns out it is quite good in comparison with other countries. But it costs a lot of money.”
The head of state also noted that theoretically speaking if every resident of Belarus pays $1 in this tax, it will generate only $9.5 million. “In the grand scheme of things it is nothing if we spend $2 billion on treatment alone but we could use the $9.5 million to buy something,” he remarked.
In conclusion Aleksandr Lukashenko said: “It is yet unclear whether the tax will be implemented. These matters have not been submitted for my consideration. We don't intend to raise taxes. They are high as it is. We don't have oil and natural gas. Because the taxable base and taxes are decent. We always wonder how to reduce them. This is why I don't think the taxes will be large if any are implemented. But the possibility is under consideration.”
