Opinions & Interviews

Lukashenko calls for eliminating unnecessary intermediation inside Belarus

MINSK, 1 March (BelTA) – It is necessary to eliminate all kinds of unnecessary intermediation inside the country, Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko said as he heard out a report of Chairman of the State Control Committee Vasily Gerasimov on 1 March, BelTA has learned.

“Another matter we need to seriously deal with (we raised it at the Belarusian People’s Congress) is intermediation. Intermediaries add up to 30% to the final price, the figure can be even higher for certain products. We don't need such intermediation. We should eliminate any intermediation inside Belarus. Does it make any sense: I buy goods from across the street, and I still need some kind of intermediary? No intermediaries are needed. An appropriate proposal must be submitted,” the Belarusian leader said.

“They come and tell me: they [intermediaries] give payment deferrals or something else, and we go to them. We need to come to grips with this matter and eliminate unnecessary intermediation,” the head of state said. Aleksandr Lukashenko noted that the State Control Committee deals with a lot of things that have to do with the real sector of the economy. “There is no escaping it, either. You should see how the real sector of the economy functions. It should be in good order” the Belarusian leader demanded.

The president asked the chairman of the State Control Committee about the last year’s  performance and the bottlenecks to be addressed. “The most important things you need to assess are the budget and state property. These are the main areas of your work. What is your take on them? In addition to the main areas of work, the committee traditionally deals with many other issues, including control over the payment of salaries. You also keep an eye on taxation. The financial police also report to you. How does it work? What do we need to improve here?” the head of state said.

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