It seems highly likely that the government will devise a new set of economic measures to help companies in Serbia.
The government has been analysing for days the problems faced by businesses during the pandemic, as well as all possible ways in which it could help them. After disbursing three minimum wages to companies and 100 euro to every Serbian citizen over the age of 18, the government is considering a new set of measures.
In early June, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia forwarded to the government a proposal which combines short-term support to preserve liquidity and jobs, as well as development measures through support for export-oriented companies and the inclusion of Serbian companies in international supply chains.
“Short-term measures should no longer be horizontal but selectively targeted to include those companies which are at the highest risk, have been hit hardest by the crisis and need more time for consolidation,” said the head of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce, Marko Čadež.
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Asked how realistic it would be for the state to again disburse minimum wages to businesses, Nikola Altiparmakov, member of the Fiscal Council, said that it was up to the government to assess which solution could give the best results.
“Two things are certain today. One is that the state cannot repeat the generous set of measures from a few months ago and therefore the new set would have to be of a much smaller value. The other thing is that, a few months ago, we were trying to help businesses overcome the crisis that was thought to be short-term. Now, it is clear that the crisis will last much longer,” Altiparmakov underlined.
“One should consider whether to help employers who hire workers from sectors that were hit the hardest by the pandemic. For example, the state can annul 70% of the tax and contribution for companies who hire tourism workers,” the expert concluded.
(Dnevnik, 16.07.2020)
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