Cancellation of patents favours “business sharks” – Social Democrat Party

The cancellation of the entrepreneur patent is not only a direct threat for the small business, but also a lobby of the communist government in the favour of a group of businessmen who intend to open a network of supermarkets, the leaders of the Social Democrat Party (SDP) told a news conference on Thursday, January 23, Info-Prim Neo reports. SDP leader Eduard Musuc says that the amendment to the law 208 passed by the Parliament at the initiative of the Government, by means of which patents are cancelled, affects the life of 40 thousand patentees and their families, for whom trading in marketplaces is the only way to survive. Musuc says that the communist government forces these people, who are really impoverished, to create individual enterprises, the maintenance of which will cost them 5-6-fold more if compared with the patents. They will be forced to employ an accountant, purchase cash registers etc, fact that will boost the prices of the sold products. Only 2-3% of those 65 thousand individual enterprises are working because the costs of business in Moldova are higher compared with other countries, the SDP leader claims. According to Musuc, the amendment to the Law 208 must be urgently revised and the issue must be solved by means of a moratorium and talks, so that a compromise could be found. Otherwise, Mucus says that the situation might get out of control and protest meetings could give rise to a revolution. SDP deputy-chairman and chairman of the Small Business Association Eugen Roscovanu told the same news conference that the amendment which disadvantages the small entrepreneurs is a provocation of the government that promotes hidden interests of some “business sharks”, who are interested in creating networks of supermarkets and in this way destroying the competitors who are working in the marketplaces. Roscovanu says this is a violation of the rights of consumers and patentees. According to Roscovanu, after the total cancellation of the patents, the patentees will be left to sell in the market places because they will bribe policemen, employees at the markets and local authorities, fact that will affect the budget. Forecasting such a situation, the government increased by MDL 6 mln the sum that is directed to the budget from fines. It was settled at the level of MDL 86 mln, Roscovanu says. The SDP prepared a notification on the constitutionality of the amendments. It will be sent to the ombudsmen, who will forward it to the Constitutional Court. The patentees were organising a protest meeting in the municipality of Orhei, whilst the news conference was taking place in Chisinau. A similar protest is planned on February 12 in Chisinau.