DAMASCUS, Syria (North Press) – Syrian government has recently issued a set of resolutions described by economists as discharging into merchants’ interests while the government pays no similar heed to the interests of people nor agriculture arena.
The awaited amendments announced by Minister of Interior Trade and Consumer Protection Amro Salem in a meeting with merchants met wide spread criticism by jurists.
Salem announced they were working on amending some articles of the Consumer Protection Ministerial Decree 8/2021.
The decree aims at protecting consumer rights, ensure food safety and prevent monopoly by setting controls for practicing trade and pricing, and imposing control over the quality of materials and products, with tightening penalties and fines for monopoly and selling without an invoice.
A lawyer told North Press that a law should be endorsed by a [presidential] decree or ratified by the Peoples’ Assembly. The amendment announced by the minister to modify the law to suit merchants [needs] “is illogical and illegal.”
Favoritism
Of the recently passed resolutions decisions that were descried as favoring merchants are: “Reducing exportation fees, okaying to render 25% cash support to export shipments of costs of land and maritime exporting shipments and endorsing to render financial support to expose that to be held.”
A member in Consumer Protection Association told North Press on condition of anonymity that the Interior Trade Ministry “Favors merchants. Otherwise, prices and markets would have been controlled.”
“Senior merchants’ offences are countless, some alter bills and give bills that are less than the real cost to reduce taxes and customary fees. This creates an imbalance to their favor. This is a conduct embraced by retail merchants; the weakest.”
Bunch of merchants
The source accused the ministry of seeking to amend articles of ministerial decree No. 8 “to the favor of a bunch of merchants” though there are daily reports of “flagrant offences such as cheating, tax evasion and selling [state] – sponsored materials such as fuels on the balk market.”
On November 2, Minister of Interior Trade met representatives of Ministry of Justice and those of Industry and Commerce Chambers to discuss articles that are going to be amended and to differentiate between flagrant offences from others and the entailing punishments such as imprisonment and fines.
An economist called on the government to lift “Citizen First” the slogan it has ever since chanted since its conduct on the ground is “contrary” to that.
He indicated that the government pays significant importance to the trade arena adding there is a new rule for complementarity with the private sector would take into account all demands of economic activities notably those pertaining to punishments such as imprisonment and mass financial fines.
He said imprisonment and fines inflicts anyone who commits an offence that damages either citizens or national economy. Those who do not offend the law are not punished. It is unfair to amend a decree so that to suit committed offences.
However, citizens and revenues “are not priorities,” as he put it.
Encouraging periphery
However, there are merchants that told North Press that trading needs an encouraging environment. Without that, merchants would evade taxes and material could run short on the market with prices becoming higher owing to importation and refraining from work.
A member in Damascus Chamber of Commerce told North Press that amending Decree 8/2021 which has been in effect more than a year is “necessary” since it makes capitalists subject to imprisonment for committing minor offences that pushes them to refrain from work.
The source indicated the government is compelled to cater for merchants and economic activities to “ensure the continuation of its citizens interests,” indicating the main reason lies in the purchasing power not in high prices.
The source added for a set of reasons (including exchanging and the way in dealing with the Dollar) the high prices is not merchants’ responsibility. He added, with this purchasing power, reducing prices would make no difference in meeting [peoples] demands.”
Economy is built by plans, follow ups and studies “not by reactions.” Everyone in Syria perceives himself to be “the wronged and the other the beneficiary while the main problem lies in the stumbled economy,” he noted.