“The “Voice of Small Business” (Glas malih biznisa) Facebook group, which gathered 23,000 business owners and employees of BiH crafts and small businesses in just 3 days. In our database, more than 2050 businesses with more than 13,000 employees are registered in just 24 hours, and according to a survey involving 1722 companies, 75% of employees in this field will end up in the bureau for unemployed within the next 15 days, if there is no response urgently and equally to everyone,” is stated in the press release sent by this group of small businesses in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
There are 27,000 small businesses registered in BiH and 48,000 trades with close to 350,000 employees. Of these, 262,000 jobs are threatened, which would block BiH at all levels in a very short period.
A large number of craftsmen, micro and small businesses are affected by the measures taken by Crisis headquarter at all levels due to the COVID-19 virus pandemic. Most people are completely banned from work, as well as businesses that are permitted to continue to work (food stores, pharmacies, bakeries, etc.) suffer a drop in sales from -30% to -50% due to moving restriction to children and those over 65, as well as special work procedures and working measures (distance, special cleaning and protection measures, only one customer in the shop together with the sales person, etc.).
Equality and symmetry, which implies the same measures for all businesses that regularly met all obligations to the state before the crisis, will also reduce approval procedures, and will preserve the ecosystem and allow the economy to recover quickly after the epidemic has calmed.
We are very concerned with the slow plan and proposal for resolution of the problems that businesses face, as well as with asymmetric solutions that would cover certain parts of the economy and would result in the retention of workers at work, given that the Government is delayed in these measures by 3 weeks.
Not only tourism, hospitality and hospitality are affected, but all industries alike; wood, processing, textile, service, dental offices, kindergartens, foreign language and dance schools, marketing and advertising, media, bakery and pharmacy (although not prohibited from working) due to reduced full-time traffic costs at risk of COVID-19 infection, agriculture, culture, art, event organization, photographers, catering, wedding organizers, in short, EVERYONE with registered activities.
We hereby request that you IMMEDIATELY, and no later than 3 days, make decisions:
- To Exempt all companies, without exception, from payment of all utility taxes and parafiscal charges for which the Municipality is competent
- To Exempt from payments all outdoor patios, during a state of emergency / natural disaster compensation + additional 90 days from the date of termination of the natural disaster / emergency
- All legal entities to exempt from payment of rent of premises owned by the Municipality during a state of emergency / natural disaster + an additional 90 days from the day of termination of a state of natural disaster / emergency.
- Make payments to companies with which the Municipality has contracts signed, in a way that they are fully paid for the already realized deliveries without bureaucratic delays, that the jobs that are not fully completed are paid according to the temporary situation in accordance with the degree of performance of the contract.
- To Subsidize a minimum of 50% of net wages to crafts, small businesses and other legal entities that are completely banned from work during a state of emergency / natural disaster.
- To Ensure minimum income to all individuals who have earned income on the basis of a contract of employment in BiH or abroad, who have reported all their income and paid the statutory taxes by 29.02.2020. y.
- Analyze and identify all agricultural areas in the Municipality that can be leased without compensation to interested farmers and companies, make a plan for sowing the crops that best grow in the area, provide seed, fertilizer, feed and ensure the purchase of all surpluses.
