Azernews.Az

By Nigar Orujova

The recent activity on business stimulation in Azerbaijan continues with a new suggestion: the country seeks to shorten the period for issuing licenses.

The government started to introduce privileges for entrepreneurs starting from this October under a presidential decree simplifying licensing procedures for entrepreneurship and encouraging business transparency. The decree also reduced the number of inspections over entrepreneurs for two-year period.

Development of entrepreneurship is a priority in Azerbaijan that focused on the non-oil sector development. However, a large number of licenses required for business purposes and the existing procedures for their issuance have created additional obstacles for the development of entrepreneurship and rampant corruption.

With simplification the issuance of licenses and permits for business, entrepreneurship is expected to get another positive impulse.

The period for issuing licenses is offered to be reduced from 15 to 10 days, and for permission – 7 days. The issue was discussed in the Parliament on December 17.

Deputy Minister of Economy and Industry, Sahib Mammadov said there is a legal framework to regulate the licensing in the country, but a database for permissions has not yet formed.

The bill provides for simplification of procedures for issuing licenses and permits, reducing the time of their issuance, introduction of a ‘single window’ system, etc.

“One of the innovations is that if an entrepreneur applies for a license to the appropriate structure, but does not get an answer over a period of time, it will be considered as authorization to conduct business,” he said.

Currently, the licenses are issued by 23 state bodies on 59 types of business activities in Azerbaijan.

Rendering services for issuing business licenses was recently transferred to ASAN service, which has already shown itself as the easiest way to acquire documents in Azerbaijan. The service successfully serves its primary aim – fighting corruption and bribery.

Mammadov noted that the second service center ASAN has issued more than 200 licenses for business activities only in November.

Moreover, changes to the Tax Code will simplify the tax system in construction, trade and catering starting from 2016.

The current changes are expected to make the business environment more attractive in the country and give major momentum to the development of entrepreneurship.

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Nigar Orujova is AzerNews’s staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @o_nigar

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