On May, 20th the next session of Presidium of public association «the Minsk capital union of businessmen and employers» Has taken place. Questions «the Report on Union work for April 2008г are considered.», «the Plan of work PA MCAEE »for June 2008», «Offers PA MCAEE »to the National centre of the legislation and legal researches RB in the plan of preparation of bills for 2009», «the Statement of new structure of Presidium PA MCAEE ,« Reception of new members PA MCAEE
The next session of International trading club has taken place in the Ukraine Embassy in the Republic of Belarus on February, 20th. 22 representatives of diplomatic missions from ten countries have taken part in this event. The Plenipotentiary Ambassador of the Ukraine Igor Lihovoj has opened the session of ITC and has given an excursion on the territory of the Embassy. Chairman ITC Petr Lajshev , the head of the trade and economic mission of the Embassy of the Ukraine has given the plan of work for 2008 on the approval by the members of ITC and has given the report on trade and economic cooperation between the Ukraine and Belarus.
CIPE - The Center for International Private Enterprise (www.cipe.org)
HIGHLIGHTS
Kenya – James Shikwati, Director of CIPE partner the Inter Region Economic Network (IREN), was featured in a New York Times article this week, “Kenya’s Middle Class Feeling Sting of Violence.” The article discusses the impact of the post-election crisis on the lives and livelihoods of Kenya’s middle class, estimated at approximately four million of Kenya’s 37 million people. The article also explores the efforts of Kenya’s middle class to promote reconciliation of the ethnically-charged conflict that has led to the deaths of over 1,000 people and the displacement of more than 600,000 from their homes. CIPE partner the Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM) is actively involved in the peace negotiations, representing the business community that has experienced huge losses as a result of the violence. For the full article, visit: www.nytimes.com/2008/02/11/world/africa/11kenya.html?pagewanted=1&ei=5070&en=9f0b9af1f5d45faf&ex=1203397200&emc=eta1
John Sullivan, CIPE’s Executive Director, spoke at the UN General Assembly’s informal review session on Chapter I of the Monterrey Consensus, entitled "Mobilizing domestic financial resources for development." The review session is one of a number of programs being sponsored by the United Nation’s Financing for Development Office. The UN will hold a conference in Doha in November of 2008 to formally review the Monterrey Consensus on Financing for Development which provides guidance for national states, the donor community, and international institutions. More information is available at the UN’s website at http://www.un.org/esa/ffd/index.htm.
The next session of International trading club (ITC) on the theme: «Features of development of High Technologies Park (HTP) in the Republic of 
Belarus» has taken place on January, 16th at 15.00 in the administration of the high technologies Park on avenue Niezavisimosty, 169. Features and advantages of HTP in Minsk in comparison with other world analogues; problems and difficulties of HTP development at the present stage, the mechanism of registration and functioning of the foreign companies in HTP were discussed at session. Residents of the Park have given their presentations at the meeting. Representatives of Embassies of Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Germany, Kazakhstan, China, Cuba, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia, Serbia, Syria, Slovakia, Turkey, Ukraine, France, Czechia, Japan and Moldova were on the session. Re-election of members of the board of International Trading Club has taken place as well.
The third International conference «Bank, capital and investments for business and regions» took place in Minsk on December 14, 2007. Conference was organized with the support of National Bank of the Republic of Belarus. The organizing committee consists from heads of the 
standing committees of the House of Representatives of National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus, the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Belarus, Group of the World Bank, and representatives of leading domestic banks and enterprises, public associations of industrialists and entrepreneurs, foreign bank associations.
On November, 30th in hotel "Minsk" session of a round table on a theme «Corporate social responsibility: the legal environment and directions of its perfection » has taken place. The organizer of action - the United Nations Initiative «the Global Compact» in Belarus, www.un.by
On November 6, 2007 Office of MCAEE was visited by delegation of the European Commission. The delegation consisted from: Project Coordinator of Representation of the European Commission to Ukraine and Belarus Mr. Grigorius Kontzoglou, experts of the project of the European Commission Mr. Philippe Dengler and Mr. Francisco Javier Verdera Mari, Project Manager of Representation of the European Commission in Belarus Aliaksei Lashuk.
The purpose of working visit of delegation to Belarus, which had begun on November 5, was gathering of the information for the project «Research mission according to regulation of enterprises’ activity and improvement of harmonization of norms and standards in Belarus».
During business conversation Chairman of MCAEE Vladimir Karjagin has analyzed a condition of the business climate in Belarus; he has focused his attention on questions which are important for development of small and medium-sized business of the Republic.
On October, 23 the Session of Capital Business Club of Directors has taken place. The honour guests were: the program officer of CIPE (the Center for International Private Enterprise) Elena 
Suhir, the adviser for legal matters of the International Financial Corporation, honored lawyer of the Republic of Belarus Fadeev V. A; head of the analytical centre "Strategy", the economist and the political scientist, the senior lecturer Zaiko L.F., the head of the centre of science «Mizes» of Analytical Centre "Strategy", the economist on following matters: the results of cooperation IFC with government of the Republic of Belarus in improvement of the business environment in Belarus, business climate of the Republic of Belarus in a context of the National Business Platform of Belarus Romanchuk Jaroslav. The theme «Business America - a view "inside out" was perfectly reported by the first vice-chairman of the Association, director of Unitary Enterprise «Tridacta» Margelov V.E. The session has been carried out in cafй «Lunar amulet».
On October, 23 the enlarged meeting of the Council and Presidium of MCAEE has taken place. The following questions were considered on this meeting:
1. The results of the Association work on simplification of administrative procedures
2. The first secretary of the Trade and Economic department of the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in the Republic of Belarus Marek Soho,; the Member of the board of Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Southern Sweden Ingemar Nilsson, the Expert of the Federation of Private business of Sweden Shersten Ericsson were taken in as the honorary members of the Association for the substantial contribution in development of international contacts.
On October, 19 within the Days of business cooperation with the Korean entrepreneurs in conference hall of «Minsk branch of BelCCI» (Minsk, Communistic str., 11) the contact-cooperation burse between entrepreneurs of Korea and Belarus has opened. The business meeting of the Chairman of MCAEE Vladimir Karyagin and the head of the Korean delegation, the President, executive director of the Center of small and medium business Kyongi-do Li Myong Khvana has taken place during the event. During the meeting cooperation possibilities between the Belarus and Korean businessmen were discussed. The text of the National Platform of business of Belarus was given to the Korean visitor.
«If you think, that the head of the state Alexander Lukashenko defines a tax policy of Belarus you are mistaken. There are people and structures which carry out their own game. They regularly and publicly ignore instructions and orders of the first president. They became a powerful fiscal nomenclature-expert clan which does not let Belarus go from the past. At the head of this dangerous fiscal syndicate is the Minister of Finance Nikolay Korbut and the minister of taxes and tax collections Anna Dejko. Structures of the government headed by them once again have dishonored reputation of our country. According to the fifth report of the World Bank and IFC «Business dealing 2008» our country has successively kept second year the most bad tax system in the world. This year from 178 countries we have taken the last place.»
Full text of the article by Yaroslav Romanchuka read in a heading « Наши авторы».
The economy of Belarus has taken 1st place in the world (from 178 countries) by quantity of paid taxes and tax collections (124 various tax payments). Such information was given by the World Bank and the International financial corporation. According to the last year's report the indisputable leader by quantity of tax payments was Uzbekistan with result of 130 payments this year Uzbekistan has moved on 2nd place reducing 12 payments.
3rd place was kept by Ukraine which increased quantity of tax payments from 98 to 99. China has reduced tax system from 44 to 33 tax payments, Russia - from 23 to 22 (!) payments, in Venezuela - 70 tax payments. On size of tax burden Belarus has kept “leadership” among the CIS countries and 6 place in the world in spite of the fact that the quantity of the countries in a rating has increased from 175 to 178. If the Belarus company pays all demanded taxes today their size will make 144.4% from its profit at the same time there is certain progress in comparison with 186.1% in the last year's report. 144.4% in Belarus against 51.4% to Russia and 57.3% in Ukraine.
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