Regulatory developments in the legislation of Belarus in December 2019
On the support of export.
Presidential Edict. November 4, 2019 № 412
In accordance with the Edict, the reimbursement of part of the costs for participation in international specialized exhibitions (fairs) and assessment of conformity of products in foreign countries at the expense of republican and regional (Minsk) budgets is provided for legal entities and individual entrepreneurs which are involved in such activities and registered in the Republic of Belarus..
On the involvement of unused and inefficiently used property in the economic turnover.
Resolution of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus. November 13, 2019 №763
The Resolution establishes the procedure for the involvement in the economic turnover of unused and inefficiently used state-owned real estate through the annual formation and approval of calendar schedules, as well as the procedure for taking measures to implement the schedules.
The involvement of the abovementioned real estate in the economic turnover may be conducted via selling, leasing, transferring for free use, transferring without transferring ownership rights, transferring into private ownership free of charge, making a non-monetary contribution to the authorized capital of a legal entity.
On the amendment of the Law of the Republic of Belarus “On Natural Monopolies”.
The Law of the Republic of Belarus. November 11, 2019 № 250-З
The amendments determine the right of the regulatory body of natural monopolies, regional and Minsk city executive committees for the purposes specified by law to hold public hearings before a decision on the prices (tariffs) for the services of natural monopolies is made.
Two forms of hearings are determined: face-to-face and in the form of posting a draft prices (tariffs) for the services of natural monopolies on the official websites of relevant government bodies.
On the procedure of maintaining the audit register and providing information on audit activities.
Resolution of the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Belarus. October 18, 2019 №57
The Resolution approved the Instruction on the procedure for maintaining the register of auditors, auditors operating as individual entrepreneurs, audit organizations (Instruction).
This Resolution is connected with the recent Presidential Edict “On International Standards of audit activity” dated November 26, 2019 No. 429.
On the procedure for waste management.
Resolution of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus. November 28 , 2019 № 818
Among other things, the following procedures were approved or changed by this Resolution:
-The procedure for registering transactions on the transfer of hazardous wastes for a specified period or their disposal;
-The procedure for agreeing on waste management instructions;
-The procedure for coordination of waste management schemes generated on the lands of nature conservation, recreation, recreation and historical and cultural purposes;
-The procedure for the issuance and cancellation of permits for storage and disposal of industrial wastes;
-The procedure for the development and approval of standards for production waste generation.
The resolution expanded the list of cases in which the permission for the disposal of production wastes is not required, as well the list of cases in which the governmental registration of transactions on the disposal of hazardous wastes is not required.
On the construction of residential buildings in satellite towns of Minsk.
Presidential Edict. December 17, 2019 № 466
The Edict determines that during the construction of residential buildings and social infrastructure in satellite towns, the provision of land to developers does not require the conduct of an auction. Such provision can be conducted in parallel with the construction process, without the development of justifications for using electricity for heating purposes and with other exceptions from the general rules, therefore simplifying the construction process for developers.
Currently, the following cities are regarded as satellite towns: Dzerzhinsk, Zaslavl, Logoisk, Rudensk, Smolevichi, Fanipol.
On the establishment of the size of the basic unit.
Resolution of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus. December 13, 2019 № 861
The size of the basic unit is used in Belarus as a nominal standard for determination of the size of social benefits, pensions, taxes and fees as well as for other purposes. Starting from January 1, 2020, the amount of basic unit will be 27 rubles (approximately 11.75 Euros) compared to 25.5 rubles in 2019.
On the change of the Resolution of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus and the National Bank of the Republic of Belarus. July 6, 2011 № 924/16.
Resolution of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus and the National Bank of the Republic of Belarus. November 29, 2019 № 819/16
In addition to a number of changes in the procedure for cash transactions using bank cards, an interesting and important innovation has been introduced by this Resolution: starting from January 1, 2020, legal entities and individual entrepreneurs who are not regarded as banks or non-bank CFDs according to Belarusian legislation, will be able to issue cash to holders of bank cards in rural areas, small urban settlements, territories outside settlements, and two years later - throughout Belarus.
The amount of one cash withdrawal operation shall not exceed 10 basic units (270 rubles, approximately 117 euros). At the same time, in order to conduct a cash withdrawal operation, it will also be necessary to pay for a product or service using bankcard. Cashless transaction and the cash withdrawal operation will be conducted as separate bankcard operations.
The Resolution comes into force on January 1, 2020.
Amendments to the law "On the legal status of foreign citizens and stateless persons in the Republic of Belarus"
The amendments provide that foreign specialists will be able to obtain a permanent residence permit after three years of living in the Republic of Belarus (compared to 7 years before the amendments were introduced).
The amendments also establish an extended period (10 days compared to 5 days before the amendments were introduced) during which foreigners, upon arrival in the Republic of Belarus are required to register at the place of actual temporary stay.
The main provisions of the document comes into force on July 1, 2020.
Presidential Edict. 16 October 2018 № 414; Resolution of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus and the National Bank of the Republic of Belarus. June 28, 2019 № 432/11.
According to this Edict, starting from January 1, 2020, it will be possible to write off debts from different bank accounts of the debtor within the total amount specified in the enforcement document, including from those accounts that are not known to the collector. Such operations will be carried out through an automated information system of performance of monetary obligations (AIS).
To write off the debts from the debtor’s accounts, the collector will need to send to the bank in which he is serviced two documents: the payment request and the original enforcement document, which, after being included in the AIS will be returned to the collector.
Today, a claim is issued for a specific bank account of which the collector is aware. Unscrupulous debtors simply open new accounts and continue their business activities. After the regulations will come into force, such an opportunity will no longer exist.
