Astana. December 20. KAZAKHSTAN TODAY - The clock change has impacted not only large businesses but has also had a very negative effect on small and medium enterprises, stated at the forum "How the Clock Change in Kazakhstan Affects Small and Medium Businesses," held at the city branch of the National Chamber of Entrepreneurs "Atameken," by Olga Yurkovskaya, a representative of the Republican Association of Public Catering and Retail Trade.
First and foremost, cafes, restaurants, bars, beauty salons, fitness centers, and so on have suffered. It turns out that many people simply no longer want to go out for entertainment or dining; they prefer to stay home and sleep because this schedule is exhausting for all of us. Additionally, our electricity costs have risen, and as it gets dark earlier, we have to turn on the lights sooner. Besides being forced to pay more for electricity, our rates have increased," Yurkovskaya said.
According to her, businesses are suffering significant losses, and many entrepreneurs are forced to close down.
Cafes are closing, beauty salons are shutting down, and small businesses, which currently provide the largest source of jobs for ordinary citizens, are disappearing," the entrepreneur emphasized.
Many are closing because they cannot afford the expenses related to the time change.
The working day has been shortened. No one has adjusted their work schedules, despite what the Ministry of Labor proposed. Even the Akim of Astana said it’s not that simple because it involves a large infrastructure. Primarily, this includes schools and kindergartens. Many of us have children. And until we take our child to school, we cannot come to work," the speaker stated.
She emphasized that the government is aware of these difficulties but is not listening to entrepreneurs.
We, as public representatives, are fighting against the issue of the time change. We were again denied in court, even though everyone knows it's a very ridiculous excuse. Many saw how the court process unfolded, how well-argued it was, how clear it was, what a large number of constitutional articles were violated, and yet the government simply turned a blind eye. The government sees that businesses are incurring losses. For instance, UGD Temirtau is sending messages to entrepreneurs asking them to clarify why their incomes have suddenly decreased. This means that UGD suspects entrepreneurs of hiding their income. The reality is that this situation arises from the time change, which truly carries these unfortunate consequences. People are closing down, businesses are going bankrupt, and cafes, bars, restaurants, and beauty salons are shutting their doors," Yurkovskaya lamented.
According to her, people have stopped considering going out to eat, have fun, or relax. They just want to go home and get some rest.
She also reminded that last year "Atameken" provided a negative conclusion regarding the time change.
Last year, the National Chamber deemed it advisable to maintain the existing timekeeping system in the Republic of Kazakhstan. Despite this, we were simply not heard," the speaker noted.
She emphasized that this issue is not just about individuals or ordinary people.
It concerns business. And business generates profit for the state in the form of taxes. If there are no businesses, we all understand that this will also be disastrous for the government. Therefore, we would like to reach out to the government and say, if you do not hear ordinary citizens, please hear the business community. Because tomorrow there will be no one to organize jobs. The government is not working on building new factories and plants on that scale. There aren’t enough job opportunities to cater to people in those sectors. Most of our workforce is engaged in small and medium enterprises. The same goes for trade, markets, and retail stores. Now, the time change has affected absolutely everyone. Thus, we ask for the time to be reverted," Yurkovskaya concluded.
Recall that in a survey conducted by the express monitoring bureau DEMOSCOPE, the majority of Kazakhstanis expressed their opposition to a unified time zone. The greatest discontent was voiced by residents of the eastern and central regions, as well as the largest cities - Almaty and Astana.
Earlier, the "Sanj" research center conducted a sociological study on the impact of a unified time zone on citizens in Kazakhstan. The results showed that the unified time zone negatively affected 11.5 million Kazakhstanis. The time change adversely affected health, well-being, sleep, safety, and trade, and there was an increase in traffic accidents, along with heightened electricity consumption. This impact is felt most strongly in the eastern regions.
The Kazakhstan Today agency's website also conducted a survey regarding the introduction of a unified time zone - 61% of respondents voted against the time change.
At a press conference in Almaty, the chairperson of the union for the protection of small and medium businesses, Elena Motykina, stated that trade in Almaty has significantly decreased after the time change. Markets and "neighborhood" stores have suffered the most. Traders report a decline in revenue of up to 70%.