BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 7
Trend:
Quite often it is bureaucratic arbitrariness that inhibits the development of entrepreneurship, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said in his closing speech at the conference dedicated to the results of first year implementation of "The State Program on socio-economic development of the regions of the Republic of Azerbaijan in 2019-2023",Trend reports.
“Seeing that work is about to start somewhere, officials sometimes immediately rush there, demand their share or try to snatch something,” Ilham Aliyev said. “This must be stopped. Therefore, entrepreneurs must fully pay taxes. Because their taxes mean the life of our country, our people. Of course, the reforms carried out by tax authorities also provide great assistance to entrepreneurs because entrepreneurs know what the rules are. And they are very simple. It is necessary to build your work in accordance with law, conclude labor contracts and not exploit workers.”
“I am told that workers are sometimes forced to work above the prescribed time,” the Azerbaijani president noted. “We have an eight-hour working day. No-one should work more than that. But in order to save more money, they are forced to work for 10, 12 or more hours. This must end and the Cabinet of Ministers must exercise control over that. It is necessary to hold a special meeting to discuss these issues. If such facts are committed, the entrepreneurs will be punished. I urge employees not to work without an employment contract. I know that sometimes you are forced to do so. But you should also know that without an employment contract you will not be able to receive a pension and medical insurance tomorrow.”
“Therefore, entrepreneurs must pay tax, comply with all legal requirements and be responsible,” said Ilham Aliyev. “Well-to-do entrepreneurs must be aware of their social responsibility, of course. At the same time, they should not commit unreasonable staff cuts because each redundancy leaves a whole family without a livelihood. This cannot be done. Please note that the state is increasing the number of recipients of targeted social assistance. Despite the fact that poverty is at 4.8 percent, poor people in Azerbaijan do not wander around the streets, as in some cities. Look at the cities of developed countries.”
“There are thousands of homeless people living in the capitals of the largest countries,” the Azerbaijani president added. “They sleep either in boxes, on benches or in make-shift tents they set up for themselves. We see it on TV. Do we have this too? No! Why? Because the state takes care of its citizens. Although the number of unemployed and poor people in Azerbaijan is getting smaller, I have instructed to increase the number of recipients of targeted social assistance.”