• Independence Day will also be a working day for the country’s banking system
• To bring the business out of the crisis, it needs government orders
• Look for opportunities to grow your business
• This year’s competition is for FSC-certified companies
• The famous European exhibition will return next year

Read about what happened last week in Ukraine and the world, and what is relevant and interesting for the furniture expert, in our digest:

1. This year, due to the martial law, the Independence Day of Ukraine will be a normal working day, in particular for the banking system. This was reported in the press service of the National Bank of Ukraine. As noted, the electronic payment system (SEP), the depository accounting system of the depository of the National Bank, the depository institution of the National Bank, and the system of quantitative accounting of certificates of deposit CERTIF will operate as usual on August 24, 2022.
2. The Office of the President of Ukraine is considering the possibility of introducing a new tax model: 10% income tax, 10% personal income tax, 10% VAT. It also provides for the almost complete abolition of all benefits, increased liability for violations of tax legislation, and the tax service’s access to information on bank accounts to prevent tax evasion. These plans are criticized by experts. For example, economic expert Pavlo Vernivskyi is convinced that this will not solve economic problems in the state and will not help in the war. He emphasized that the real cause of the economic crisis is the decline of the domestic consumption and export market. To bring the business out of the crisis, it needs government orders.
3. During the war, entrepreneurs should not put their business on hold, but should look for opportunities for its development. Entrepreneur and politician Vasyl Khmelnytskyi wrote about this on his Facebook. “Explore opportunities, apply for grants and improve your business. Don’t wait for a better time, because we don’t know when the war will end.” He also provided a list of foundations and organizations that provide grants to entrepreneurs. In particular, these are: «єРобота» (Дія), the Ukrainian Fund for Startups together with the Ministry of Digital, the Ministry of Finance, the charity fund «МХП – Громади».
4. The risk for the furniture business is greater, the more demanding consumers demand information on the origin of raw materials for manufactured products. The FSC certification system for wood significantly reduces this risk. The FSC mark on a wood product certifies that the raw material used for its production was obtained from responsibly managed forests. This year, the international certification organization FSC conducts the FSC Furniture Awards competition, which for the first time is available not only to FSC-certified companies, but also to holders of FSC advertising licenses in the furniture industry. Only companies whose head offices are located in one of 20 European countries can apply for the award by September 8. Furniture dealers can do it for the first time.
5. In 2023, the famous European furniture exhibition-fair “imm cologne” in Cologne, after more than two years of interruption due to the pandemic, wants to adapt its strategy to the challenges of the market. The event, which was previously usually held in January, this time is scheduled for June and will be called “imm Spring Edition”. The organizers decided to experiment with new ideas, leaving behind already “well-trodden paths”.