The Belarusian Transport and Communication Ministry is taking additional measures to improve the financial status of international trucking companies in view of the global financial crisis, Transport and Communication Minister Vladimir Sosnovsky told media on December 30. “It is wrong to say that the crisis has drastically affected international trucking companies. Naturally the falling trade turnover reduced the demand for transport services, which affected the financial standing of companies. But the scale of the losses is not that big,” said Vladimir Sosnovsky. Undoubtedly corrections will be introduced into business plans. Some investment plans may be suspended or rescheduled to a later date. “However, in view of the tendencies we are tracking and able to forecast, there are no reasons to panic,” assured the minister. The measures taken by the government and companies themselves allow smoothing the consequences of the crisis to a large extent. In particular, traditional methods such as preferences and borrowing aid have been applied. In 2009 the vehicle registration tax will be reduced from 5% to 3%. Active fixed assets, including vehicles, which make the bulk of the real estate tax paid by transport companies, will be removed from the tax. The reduction of prices for cargo transportation permits for Belarusian trucking companies is under consideration. According to the source, the general measures and corrected plans of the companies will help survive consequences of the crisis. “Everything will depend on how long it will last. We believe, however, that it will not involve bankruptcy of companies or mass staff reductions,” added Vladimir Sosnovsky. Head of the Foreign Trade Department of the Transport and Communication Ministry Sergei Negrei remarked, a draft decree to reduce the cost of permits by more than two times has been prepared and is being adjusted. It will make the price equal to that effective in Russia. While Belarus is not part of the European Union and any transportation requires several permits, expenses are high and make Belarusian companies operate under terms unequal with those their competitors enjoy. This is why the reduction of the fee for issuing foreign permits will increase the competitive ability of Belarusian transporters and will essentially improve the financial standing of companies. Signed on December 30, the Belarusian-Swedish agreement on international transportation of passengers and cargoes is an important step in improving the status of Belarusian companies because it gives new opportunities and markets, underscored Sergei Negrei. “We hope that in the near future the number of bilateral travels will increase and transportation from Sweden to third countries will start,” he said. Experts believe the document will allow earning up to ?1.5 million by exporting transport services. БЕЛТА
Written by belta.by
