Saakashvili Vows to Secure Favorable Business Climate
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| Large business, new authorities pledge cooperation |
In his keynote speech regarding the economy development in the country, Mikheil Saakashvili said, while addressing the representatives of the medium and large business, “time is over when various persons were misappropriating state and public property. We should create favorable investment climate with the established rules of game.”
Saakashvili vowed to liberalize the current tax code, which is slammed by the businessmen. They admit that it fosters tax evasion. “It is vital to simplify and liberalize the tax code,” Saakashvili said.
“During the three-week period, after the January 4 presidential elections, we will introduce the draft of new tax code and the anti-monopoly bill,” Mikheil Saakashvili said.
He said the main thing is to change the entire system, as well as the state attitude towards the business. “We should create the environment, where each businessman will no more need patronage of criminals and particular high officials in order to run the business, as it is now,” Mikheil Saakashvili said.
He stressed the importance of close cooperation with the international financial organizations, but not according to their “superficial instructions and plans”. “We should offer them our own plan, which would be in the line of the country’s interests,” Saakashvili said.
Saakashvili also offered to introduce law, which would allow dual citizenship. “Around million Georgians are abroad. There are many businessmen and well-trained professionals among them. We should create favorable condition for them in Georgia,” Saakashvili said.
He reaffirmed that the new government will follow Georgia’s commitments regarding the strategic energy projects. “The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline will be implemented. The projects of this kind will serve the interests of each Georgian citizen and not the particular clans, as it was before,” he added.
The presidential candidate sees the economic growth as the only way to restore the country’s territorial integrity. “We say that we do not want use of force in order to restore territorial integrity. The only other way is to use economic leverage,” Saakashvili said.
“I am sure, that if the Abkhaz and South Ossetian sides will see that the economy is growing in Georgia they will come to us. We should attract them with economic opportunities,” Mikheil Saakashvili added.
He said that it will not be easy in Abkhazia, but “it is not impossible.”
Saakashvili also vowed to prosecute officials suspected in misappropriation of state funds. He said the law enforcers should probe the foreign account of the officials.
“Those, who acquired wealth by infringing state interests, will be punished. The law enforcement agencies have been already instructed in this regard. Those, who acquired illegal wealth, should return it. These funds belong to the State and should be transferred to the treasury,” Mikheil Saakashvili stated.
In 2001, by then-Justice Minister Mikhail Saakashvili, proposed a bill that would allow for the confiscation of assets that officials could not prove were acquired legally. However, President Shevardnadze rejected that draft bill.
The businessmen, who hailed the Saakashvili’s proposals, demanded from him to hold accountability for the promises he has pledged. “We should now that personally you will be responsible for all that you have vowed to do and not the particular state agency, as it was before,” Vano Chkhartishvili, the chairman of TV company Mze (the Sun) supervisory board said.
“Everything, what has been said at the meeting, can be done and there is nothing impossible in it. The most important thing we should do is to establish strict order in economy. First of all the authorities should tackle smuggling and improvement of the tax code, etc,” Chairman of the Taxpayers Union Niko Lekishvili told Civil Georgia on December 12.
“Our close cooperation with the authorities will start after January 4. The proposals suggested by Saakashvili can be implemented only with the joint activity,” President of Coca-Cola Bottlers Georgia Temur Chkonia said.
“Saakashvili’s vision is to be taken into account. We should implement these principles together and much depends on us,” Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Bank of Georgia Vladimer Pateishvili said.