The patent holders are dissatisfied with the fact that after the negotiations held within the Prime Minister’s Economic Council, where they asked to be allowed to trade based on patent for ten years, the Government proposed a bill that sets a period of two years only, until December 31, 2018. In a news conference at IPN, president of the Small Business Association Eugen Roscovanu said that if this deadline is also modified when the bill is debated in Parliament, the patent holders will mount protests.
Eugen Roscovanu said the national economy is monopolized and the way in which the problems of patent holders are discussed show that the economic conceptions drafted by the Ministry of Economy are designed for large, transnational companies. On the one hand, this is not bad, but the national small and medium-sized enterprises should also be supported because they are the main provider of jobs.
The president of the Small Business Association noted that in the negotiations held at the Government, the patent holders asked for a period of ten years during which to work in the old conditions, but conceded and agreed to five years. However, the authorities proposed a period of two years and the patent holders ultimately accepted. But these do not agree to work in markets only. They ask to be allowed to sell in places authorized by the local authorities.
“A heated discussion was also held as regards the entrepreneur’s patent. We asked that the price of patent should be adjusted to the rate of inflation. If the inflation was officially forecast at 5-6%, the price of patent should increase as much. But the Government presented very large,” stated Eugen Roscovanu.
“The price of patent for trading in food products rose by 160 lei for municipalities, to 700 lei a month, in district centers – 500 lei, by 140 lei more, in villages – 200 lei plus, by 100 lei more. The rises refer to national products, which means that these will be more expensive than the imported ones.”
Eugen Roscovanu said the patent holders are hopeful that Parliament will keep the old patent prices.
Eleonora Turcanu-Herghelegiu, director of the southern branch of the Small Business Association, said the patent-based trade is on the verge of extinction, while the government is deaf, mute and blind to the people’s problems.
Rezina local councilor Alexandru Veshnieski, who is a patent holder, said that after the end-October meeting with representatives of the Government, he reached the conclusion that the authorities do not know the realities in Moldova. “Not the patent holders cause damage to the state interests. On the contrary, these monthly pay social contributions of 1,000 to 2,500 lei. We spoke about traders who work in markets in a number of villages and asked that these should be allowed to work based on one patent. But the bill says nothing about this,” he stated.
The patent was to be annulled as of January 1, 2017, but the changes approved recently by the Government put off this time limit, arguing time is needed to switch over to a new taxation system so that the patent holders inform themselves about the particularities of the new fiscal regime and realize the opportunities of the new mechanism. The deadline is postponed only for those who will have a valid patent for one of the kinds of activities on December 31, 2016.
