The Cuban government has amended a few items on the new regulation it released past mid of this year, such as eliminating the restriction on the number of business permits a person can have and the limit of 50 seats in restaurants.
The new controls, which were announced by the government in July and were expected to take effect this month, also include new taxes for high-earning businesses, among other measures. The controls aim to inhibit tax evasion and will take effect Friday.
Labor and Social Security Minister Margarita Gonzalez said the decision to modify some of the regulations came as a result of months of meetings with representatives of the private sector hearing their complaints. Cubans will now be allowed to have more than one permit as long as they are justifiable.
Self-employment “is a complement to state activity,” Gonzalez said, justifying it as a source of employment, taxes and progress for the population while acknowledging that irregularities have also been observed.
