There were those who did not even open, but there were also those who reached, exceeded their turnover last year.

The season at Lake Balaton started hard, but at the end of July and August the turnover was especially strong, the rotation of catering services opened since spring in the season was 60-80 percent last year – said the businessman of the Somogyán En Siófok organization.

Due to the epidemic, the turnover of a significant part of micro and small entrepreneurs operating commercial and catering businesses decreased compared to the previous year. There were those who did not open, but there were also those who reached and surpassed the level of turnover of last year, said Rezső Kertész, co-president of the KISOSZ Somogy organization, summarizing the experiences. It also stressed that it was a problem that its members could not get any state support.

Based on feedback from members of 230 organizations in Somogy, including 160 small catering and trade businesses in South Lake Balaton, the proportion of skilled workforce has improved this year in the main tourism season in Lake Balaton due to employees who they return from abroad. In the second half of the summer, they sometimes had capacity issues due to guest turnover sometimes higher than last year, and some of the restaurant owners were unable to benefit from the situation due to distance rules.

For restaurateurs, it was a problem that the food that was ordered to take away was subject to a different VAT content than that consumed locally. “The complex regulation should be modified, using a uniform VAT rate, as in other countries,” Rezső Kertész summarized the request. According to the forum, more than half of the stores were insured and payment with the SZÉP Card increased significantly. Entrepreneurs complained that the commission for card sales increased from 1.5 to 3.6 percent last year.

Several of those who appeared on the forum objected to the “fake” news about prices at Lake Balaton.

The co-chair put it this way: “Entrepreneurs working in the profession argue that prices at Lake Balaton have risen dramatically, especially compared to the fact that prices for raw materials have risen by an average of 5 to 10 percent, and in the case of vegetables and fruits sometimes between 40 and 100 percent. ” He added that on the south shore of the lake there was a vendor in each settlement offering a daily menu for 1200-1500 guilders, and in various stores they sold simple llama for 500-550 guilders and ice cream for 300 guilders a dumpling.

Speaking of the inspections, Rezső Kertész objected to the fact that despite years of promotion, the regulation on online cash registers should be modified, which, according to them, judges too strictly the discrepancy between the amount at the cash register and the fixed amount. Therefore, a store can be closed for 12 or 30 days, which can also result in the bankruptcy of a store in Lake Balaton, even if the recognition obligation has been met, he added.

He also spoke about the fact that entrepreneurs fear that due to expected inflation, the amount of next year’s minimum wage and guaranteed minimum wage will be so high that some micro and small entrepreneurs can no longer manage it.



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