In two weeks small-sized business representatives from across Moldova intend to stage a massive street rally in Chisinau to request financial support and significant tax cuts from the government. The announcement was made by Eugen Roscovanu, the president of the Small Business Association, at a news conference on Monday. He says the promised incentives have been replaced with widespread inspections and raids, excessive fines and confiscations of goods. “We may say that the small and mid-sized enterprises in Moldova have been under a prolonged siege by an insatiable army of bureaucrats”, declared Roscovanu. “We deplore the two-faced policy of Mr. Dodon (Economy and Trade Minister Igor Dodon) concerning this category of people, who paid big money for their licenses. We are ready to protest until we are heard and understood”, declared Olga Ceapchi, the leader of the Association's arm in the district of Stefan Voda. Grigore Marciuc, the head of a similar organization in the district of Soroca, laments the legal amendments whereby the holders of patents (that is how the licenses issued to small traders are called in Moldova) were barred from selling a large range of goods. “During the talks with Igor Dodon we had been deprived of a lawyer's assistance to protect our interests, that's how they managed to deceive us and hamper our activity”, said Marciuc. The patent-holders are requesting the government to increase the number of activities allowed under a patent, to actively protect the small business by adopting a law on inspections, and to cut the taxes, including VAT, applicable to them. “Whether there is an election campaign or not, the economic rights of people must be always protected when they need it”, Roscovanu added. According to him, the disorganization of the small traders might lead to price hikes. Eugen Roscovanu also said that the revenues to the 2009 state budget planned from the collection of fines are 70 million lei. According to him, the number of patents drops annually by 40-50 percent – whereas in 2007 the patents provided 116,473 people with jobs, the figure fell to 77,724 in 2008.