• “Customs visa-free”: wait a year
• Ukrainian business has gained optimism
• Regional businesses need to be friends with local authorities
• Audio rooms for business negotiations
• World furniture is experiencing a shortage of materials

 

Everything that happened last week in Ukraine and the world and that is relevant and interesting for the furniture maker, read in our digest:

 

1. Ukraine expects to accede to the European Convention on Single Transit in 2022, Prime Minister Denis Shmygal hopes. “Ukraine is already using the new NCTS transit system at the national level. In the future, joining the international system will allow the exchange of customs data in real time and control the goods at each stage of transportation. This is an important step towards de-shadowing and combating customs abuses. ” The Prime Minister stressed that this is another of the “five visa-free” strategic directions of the government in terms of integration into the European space.

 

 

2. According to the National Bank, for the first time in the last two years, businesses forecast an increase in the total number of employees at their enterprises. Respondents of construction, trade and other activities predict an increase in the number of employees. Expectations of wage growth in the next 12 months have also intensified and remain high. Only 0.9% of surveyed companies are ready to reduce salaries. Also, enterprises for the third consecutive quarter significantly improve expectations for growth in production of goods and services in Ukraine in the next 12 months. At the same time, for the third quarter in a row, business expectations about the hryvnia exchange rate improved. The average value of the exchange rate that respondents expect in 12 months is UAH 28.50 / USD. (in the previous quarter – UAH 28.71 / USD).

 

3. The transfer of personal income tax to local budgets has become a powerful tool for regional companies to increase the motivation of local authorities to take an interest in their needs. This was reported by the Center for Public Finance Analysis and Public Administration in its study. “It is not important for us to have a budget in which to pay personal income tax, so we meet the needs of local authorities and pay personal income tax at the place of actual residence of employees, because it is extremely important for our company to have good relations with local authorities,” he explains – one of the respondents.

 

4. Twitter has acquired the Sphere group chat app, developed by British entrepreneurs Nick D’Aloisio and Thomas Halgas. Its purpose is to unite strangers with common interests. In recent months, Twitter has been actively expanding and developing its platform. Twitter Spaces audio rooms are convenient for organizing and conducting business negotiations, which will definitely be used by business.

 

5. Lack of raw materials is a serious problem that may soon be fully felt by furniture manufacturers. It is reported that the Swedish retailer IKEA was one of the first to sound the alarm, which faced a lack of materials and problems with logistics. The company believes that supply disruptions may continue until 2022. In Russia, furniture makers share such sentiments. The head of the furniture factory “Principle” Maxim Makarov, in particular, notes that even today, even small local players in the furniture market are experiencing a shortage of materials. According to him, materials are steadily becoming more expensive – by 10% from month to month. Deliveries from European and Chinese suppliers are delayed.