Meat vendors warn to protest in 2009, too

Vendors of meat, citruses and other foodstuffs from entire Moldova marched from hotel ”National” to the Presidency on Monday in Chisinau, Info-Prim Neo reports. Armed with posters, whistles and loudspeakers, the protested expressed their anger as to the Law on the entrepreneurial patent. They have chanted: “We want economic freedom!”, “We want to work on the basis of patents!” “Do not chase us out of the country!” etc. No official from the Parliament or Presidency came to talk with them. The street protests were joined by sellers from Ungheni, Falesti, Balti, Donduseni, Sangerei, Orhei, Causeni, Nisporeni, Chisinau and Leova. According to organizers there came some 1,200 people. “We see, in the bans, big economic interests and corruption able to monopolize the market. The massive meat imports from other countries are of bad quality. That meat stood in warehouses for 20 years and is now sold to people because the Government failed to organize an efficient local production of meat for the last 7 years,” the president of the Small Business Association Eugen Roscovanu has told media. The sellers are indignant that, remaining without jobs, they have to leave seeking for work abroad, leaving their children to be taken care of by somebody else. They say they will on protesting in 2009, unless they get the modifications they want till the New Year. “We don't understand why we cannot sell those products with patents, if we present 3 medical certificates and pay all the taxes,” a meatwoman from Chisinau, Nina Ilescu, has asked herself. The modifications to the law on the entrepreneurial patent were endorsed by the Government on April 16. Thus, the patent-based commerce will be able to be practiced will 2017. The restriction refer only to some categories, including meat. The monthly patent tax is 360 lei in municipalities, 180 lei in district centers and 90 lei in villages.