Forced sales and closure of private businesses in Cienfuegos during government inspection

Inspectors from the province of Cienfuegos issued 590 fines for 630 violations they found during a price control exercise.

In that province, located in the south of Cuba, 862 inspections were conducted, resulting in more than twenty forced sales of agricultural and essential products, the closure of six establishments in the non-state sector, and the cancellation of 30 work projects, reported the official newspaper 5 de Septiembre.

Additionally, authorities from that province mentioned that they collected more than one million pesos due to violations of Decree-Law 30, especially in the municipalities of Aguada de Pasajeros, Rodas, Santa Isabel de las Lajas, and Cienfuegos.

The focus of the inspections was on the transportation sector and food marketing and services, said Alexander Brito Brito, coordinator of Programs and Objectives of the Provincial Government of the People's Power.

The official specified that during those days, 56 complaints and five reports were received, and there were penalties imposed on people working illegally, including the identification of minors working as self-employed individuals.

Brito Brito highlighted as a fact of evasion by businesses that upon knowing about the inspection, "some decided to close their shops during the inspection days."

While he highlighted as positive “an increase and acceptance by the inspected economic actors of the use of electronic payment channels,” amidst the crisis of accessing cash on the island.

The government offensive against private businesses and other service establishments on the island is notable, all due to the entry into force of Resolution 225/2024 from the Ministry of Finance and Prices last July.

Only between August 17 and 23, the Ministry of Finance and Prices (MFP) of Cuba closed businesses and withdrew work projects from 368 “non-state actors.”

In just one week, the government ordered the closure of 171 establishments and the termination of 197 projects by private entrepreneurs, in addition to carrying out 58 seizures of products and 773 forced sales due to "detected violations."

At the agricultural fairs in the city of Santa Clara, fines of up to 15,000 Cuban pesos (CUP) have been imposed. Meanwhile, in the municipality of Placetas, several vendors have been forced to sell their merchandise. Both territories belong to the province of Villa Clara.