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On June 29, 2023, a regional round table on "Property Management" was held in Polotsk at the Igrow Attraction Center of Belgroprombank OJSC.
Speakers at the event included employees of the Vitebsk Regional Property Committee, the Ministry of Taxes and Duties of the Republic of Belarus, and the private company "Business Intellectual Technologies" LLC, Vitebsk. Participants of the round table included representatives of commercial and non-commercial organizations of private and state ownership from Polotsk and Novopolotsk, the Inspectorate of the Ministry of Taxes and Duties for the Polotsk District, the Economics Department, and the Financial Department of the Polotsk District Executive Committee.
During the round table, an active dialogue was held on legislative novelties and practical aspects of such relevant topics as the disposal of state property, rental relations, taxation, sale of real estate objects, including for one basic unit, etc.
In particular, legislative novelties in the field of state property rental were highlighted by Pavel Vladimirovich Lukyanov, Head of the State Property Disposal Department of the Vitebsk Regional Property Committee, who, following the presentation and discussions with the round table participants, emphasized the importance of live discussion of pressing issues, especially in the context of a rapidly changing economic situation in the country.
"The Polotsk region with its special economic potential and direct communication on one platform between representatives of state administration bodies and the business community undoubtedly strengthens and develops this potential. On the one hand, we increase the legal literacy of economic entities, and on the other hand, we receive feedback, information about what problems need to be solved as a priority at the level of the State Property Committee of the Republic of Belarus so that the region receives accelerated development," emphasized Pavel Vladimirovich.
Shkirando Irina Mikhailovna, Head of the State Property Management Sector of the Vitebsk Regional Property Committee, answered questions regarding the use and sale of state property, including for one basic unit. Irina Mikhailovna's presentation was effectively supported by a presentation with positive examples of involving unused property in several districts of the Vitebsk region.
"We are summarizing the experience of involving state property in economic circulation throughout the region, communicating with colleagues from other regions, and of course, positive examples encourage business entities to more actively implement their business projects, which means new jobs and budget replenishment, i.e., the main common goal in our work."
Elena Prokhorova, Director of LLC "Intellectual Business Technologies" in Vitebsk, and her deputy Svetlana Zaitseva shared their practical experience in the rental business.
"For us, this is primarily an image event. With eight years of experience working with tenants, mainly private business entities in Vitebsk, our team is ready to share competencies and develop them by communicating with representatives of small and medium-sized businesses in various regions of the country. Moreover, cooperation with such an economically active, industrial region as Polotsk is important to us," noted Elena Nikolaevna.
Thanks to the established connections with the Republican Unitary Enterprise "Information and Publishing Center for Taxes and Duties" in Minsk since 2022, the organizers were once again assisted in attracting representatives of the Ministry of Taxes and Duties of the Republic of Belarus. Thus, the following participated in the round table in an online format: Soloveychikova Tatyana Andreevna, consultant of the department for taxation of individual entrepreneurs of the main department for taxation of individuals of the Ministry of Taxes and Duties of the Republic of Belarus, and Tereshkov Denis Sergeevich, chief state tax inspector of the Ministry of Taxes and Duties of the Republic of Belarus.
The specialists highlighted issues of calculating and paying property taxes, and also presented the practical aspects of the new special tax regime for individuals (tax on professional income) introduced in 2023, providing detailed answers to all participants' questions.
“By the way, property taxes (real estate tax and land tax), along with non-tax revenues to the budget from the sale of real estate (land plots) and rental payments, accounted for about 11% of the district budget revenues or 16 million rubles in 2022. Therefore, the financial department of the Polotsk District Executive Committee is ready to provide all possible assistance in holding such events, and we invited organizations that are vested with the powers of administrators of the above-mentioned revenues to this round table, both to improve their financial literacy and to discuss possible options for replenishing the local budget,” noted Elena Golubenok, Deputy Head of the Budget Revenue and Finance Department of the Production Sphere of the Financial Department of the Polotsk District Executive Committee.
“In the Polotsk district in 2022, 13 unused real estate objects were put into economic circulation through sale. For 2023, 19 objects are planned to be put into circulation, 3 of which have already been sold. The work is actively continuing, but in 2023, the legislation regulating the procedure for managing and disposing of state property has changed, so it is high time to discuss law enforcement practice and continue to work for results at the round table with the relevant state administration body and potential buyers. By the way, in 2023, the following are planned for alienation: a non-residential building in the agro-town of Zelyonka, former kindergartens in the village of Voronichi, agro-town Matyushi, a school in the agro-town Rudnya, etc. Detailed information can be obtained from the Economy Department of the Polotsk District Executive Committee by phone 46-22-62,” urges Alesya Terzyan, chief specialist of the Economy Department.
In addition to objects of communal property of the Polotsk district, economic circulation also includes objects of business entities. In particular, issues related to the procedures for alienating real estate objects were submitted to the round table by the Polotsk Bakery, a branch of Vitebskhleboprom OJSC, and the open joint-stock company Polotsk-Steklovolokno OJSC.
"JSC "PSV" has been offering its production and administrative buildings located in Polotsk at Uspenskaya Street for sale since 2022 through the Polotsk City Entrepreneurship Support Center. Currently, due to changes in legislation and the issuance of Presidential Decree No. 330, the process has been suspended as the company is forced to adjust its internal local legal acts regulating the procedure for property disposal. Furthermore, by government directive, in conjunction with the Polotsk District Executive Committee, the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee, and other interested parties, the company is actively seeking a buyer and simultaneously exploring the possibility of establishing a year-round health resort (sanatorium-resort) organization based on the "Cosmos" children's health camp, which is partially state-owned and partially owned by JSC "PSV". In these working conditions, any open communication, exchange of opinions and practices with colleagues, partners, and especially with authorities and state administration bodies is simply necessary and very productive," shared her opinion Maria Savchenko, Head of the Property Management Bureau of JSC "PSV".
The regional round table was truly held in a working atmosphere. A total of over 30 people participated in the event, including representatives of communal enterprises from Polotsk and Novopolotsk, small and medium-sized businesses in the region, in particular LLC "BELGRISA-plus", PE "Morskoy Briz", and others. From the Councils for Entrepreneurship Development of Novopolotsk and Polotsk District, participation included: the unitary communal consulting enterprise of Polotsk city "Entrepreneurship Support Center" and the communal unitary enterprise "Novopolotsk Center for Entrepreneurship and Real Estate".
“Of course, organizing such an event took a lot of effort and time, but when you summarize its results with colleagues, partners, and new acquaintances, it becomes obvious to everyone that in addition to improving professional skills, financial, tax, and overall legal literacy, we are uniting the region and attracting the attention of active, development-oriented people not only from the region but also at the national level, and the Igrow Centers of Attraction ecosystem greatly facilitates this. My colleagues from Novopolotsk and I have already begun discussing options for holding a joint meeting of the Entrepreneurship Development Councils of Polotsk District and Novopolotsk. We hope to hold it in the summer, possibly even in July,” shared Alexander Golubyonok, Director of the Polotsk City Entrepreneurship Support Center.
The event concluded with Ekaterina Isachenko, Partner Relations Curator for Igrow Centers of Attraction at Belagroprombank OJSC for the Vitebsk region, stating, “I sincerely thank all the speakers and participants of the round table. In the Polotsk region, we are finding more and more like-minded people, and I want to confirm our interest in actively supporting the development of the Polotsk regional entrepreneurial ecosystem by sharing the best practices of Igrow Centers of Attraction and our partners across the country.