The preferential regime for agritourism estates in Belarus may be extended until 2020

February 18, Vitebsk / Diana Kurilo - BELTA /. The preferential operating regime for agro-estates in Belarus may be extended until 2020. This was announced today in Vitebsk at a meeting on cooperation between Belarusian and Russian ministries and departments for the development of tourism, physical culture and sports within the framework of the Union State by Viktor Yankovenko, Director of the Department of Tourism of the Ministry of Sports and Tourism of Belarus, a BELTA correspondent reports. The Ministry of Sports is preparing a draft decree proposing to extend simplified taxation at the rate of one base unit for agro-estate owners until the end of 2020, without requiring them to register as individual entrepreneurs or legal entities. Preferences will apply to owners of agro-estates with up to 10 beds (previously the limit was up to 5 beds), as well as to agro-tourism complexes operating at agricultural enterprises. Belagroprombank also plans to continue its program of preferential lending for agro-tourism. "These measures will allow rural tourism to operate stably and, consequently, will contribute to the development of rural areas," Viktor Yankovenko is confident. Currently, there are 834 agro-estates and 1392 agro-tourism complexes at agricultural production cooperatives in Belarus. -0-