United against illegal trade!

This sentence was the key idea from the Day of European Commerce held for the third time this year. Sándor Demján, acting chairman of the National Association of Employers and Entrepreneurs, had words of praise for the decision by Parliament to define a 10 per cent tax on profit from revenues not exceeding HUF 50 million. He also pointed out that keeping stores open on Sundays in not a political issue, but a question of demand and the Association is against any legislative regulation of this matter. Ferenc Gyurcsány, prime minister reaffirmed government support for a proposal by the Association intended to improve the competitive position of business enterprises. He emphasised the necessity of channelling the money saved on reduced tax into investment or creating employment. According to the prime minister, the economy is developing along the right track in respect of macroeconomic processes. Regarding illegal trade, the main topic of the event, he pointed out that we are seeing extra revenues from the whitening of the economy for the first time at present. Owing to the success of the Széchenyi card, subsidies for interest will again be available from 2008 – announced János Kóka, minister of economy and transport. The minister also spoke about making HUF 170 billion of loans available for businesses annually till 2013. He emphasised the participation of VOSZ, KAVOSZ and the Hungarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry in a new program of financing intended for new enterprises. János Veres, minister of finance spoke about having succeeded in working out a system of taxation which allows public expenditure to be borne by a wider group and legal businesses to operate in a more transparent environment. As the conclusion of the event, a round table discussion was held about the topic of illegal trade, with representatives of trade organisations, government and the competent authorities.

The Hungarian Grand Prize of Commerce was awarded for the first time during the event. Among others, the following persons received the prize: Pál Bartus, chairman of ÁFEOSZ; Jean-Paul Filliat, managing director of Auchan Magyarország Kft.; László Murányi, CEO of Co-op Hungary Zrt.; José Maria Cervera, managing director of Metro Kereskedelmi Kft.; Erzsébet Antal, financial director of Tesco Globál Áruházak Zrt. Congratulations!

This day was chosen to be the Day of Commerce by the Brussels based lobby group, Euro Commerce, in 1993. The objective of Euro Commerce and VOSZ is to promote and protect the interests of the commercial sector, remind decision makers of the EU of the important role played by commerce in economic life, improve relevant legislation, and inform members of EU funding available. Retail trade accounts for 13 per cent of the GDP produced in the EU and employs 25 million people. Hungarian retail trade accounts for 12 per cent of the GDP. The market share of illegal trade and production might be as high as 30 per cent of the GDP, according to some estimates.