Members of the Seimas appealed to the Government: they were asked to return the compensation previously applied to the business

According to members of the Seimas, Lukas Savickas, Saulius Skvernelis, Algirdas Stončaitis, Tomas Tomilinas and Jonas Jarutis addressed the Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė, the Minister of Finance and Gintar G Skaistė Armonaitė urging to return in 2020. The rent compensation applies to small businesses and thus saves some entrepreneurs from accumulating debt and even impending bankruptcies.

Members of Seimas point out that they react to statements by business representatives that the compensatory measures applied during the first wave of the COVID-19 virus allowed them to suffer fewer losses and survive the pandemic more easily. Therefore, it calls on the Government to take into account emerging expectations and address emerging issues as soon as possible.

According to the members of the Seimas, the essential measure that is lacking is the rent subsidies, which allow to alleviate the debt burden of companies that do not have a premises with property rights. The companies openly say that it is the accumulated arrears in rents that will bankrupt some of the companies that have been forcibly closed.

“However, in the Government you have to listen to what the people who are trying to solve say. Entrepreneurs constantly repeat that the rent compensation mechanism has helped them preserve their businesses, listen to them and act for real”, says Saulius Skvernelis , who is widening the gap that small entrepreneurs find due to the actions of the Government.

The request also indicates that the comments made by the Special Investigation Service on the above mechanism are no reason to completely abandon this support measure.

It is argued that members of the Government should not cover up procedural challenges by ignoring reality and thus creating a survival dilemma for companies.

“I talk to entrepreneurs every day trying to save their businesses and their employees’ jobs. The stubbornness of the rulers not to apply the measure today is simply unjustified. Take into account the comments of the services, adjust the measurement, rename it as you wish; It is important that small businessmen are not left alone with hundreds of thousands of debts, from which it is impossible to get out, “says deputy Lukas Savickas.

Therefore, the members of the Seimas affirm that they urge the Government to adopt the adjusted rent compensation mechanism as soon as possible and preserve both the companies and the jobs and income of the people who work in them.

The STT findings were not favorable

Delphi Remember that during the second quarantine it was decided to end the compensation of the companies’ rent. The Minister of Economy and Innovation Aušrinė Armonaitė explained that the letter received from the STT also contributed to that decision. As previously announced Delphi, STT analysis showed that 7 million. 1 million euros, that is, approximately one third of the partial rent compensation measure, was spent on large supermarkets. In addition, cases have been identified in which the tenant has been related to the owner by kinship, ownership and management of the business.

STT commented that clearer criteria were needed on who was eligible for this support.

“According to DNMK’s description, rental costs or rental services could be reimbursed. However, the description does not detail what additional rental costs related to the rental of the premises it is proposed to reimburse. While the definition of rental and leasing services was clarified in the description last September, it was not clear what specific costs incurred by the tenant could be reimbursed.

Due to insufficient disclosure of the content of the provisions in the description, in practice they could be applied ambiguously and create unequal conditions for applicants to request compensation. The description stipulates that the applicant (tenant) and the landlord cannot belong to the same group of companies and / or the applicant cannot rent a premises from the landlord when the landlord is a natural person with a majority of votes in the applicant company, ”He writes STT.

The quarantine in Lithuania is valid as of November 7, since then it is no longer possible to use most entertainment services. The provision of beauty, leisure, sports facilities, sports clubs, fitness centers, entertainment, recreation, swimming pools, saunas (excluding public baths for personal hygiene), discos, dance halls, cinemas and movie clubs is currently prohibited .