The Ministry of Economic Development offers measures to help small and medium-sized businesses

The government plans to extend support measures for SMEs to companies operating in priority industries, but which have already outgrown the scope of small and medium-sized businesses (SME+), a bill was prepared by the Ministry of Economy. According to Kommersant, SME+ will include enterprises whose annual income does not exceed 10 billion rubles, and whose number of employees is 1,500 people. The “transitional” category may be allowed to use the popular programs of “umbrella” guarantees and preferential investment lending. The authorities’ interest in SMEs+ is explained by the hope that these companies will become the driver of investment in new production and, under the conditions of sanctions, will provide the domestic market with necessary goods and technologies.

The Ministry of Economy wants to extend support measures for small and medium-sized businesses to the category of companies that have exceeded the threshold values ​​of the SME sector (SME+), it follows from what was published on regulation.gov.ru bill. To this end, the Ministry proposes to supplement the Federal Law “On the Development of Small and Medium Enterprises” with the article “Support for business entities that have lost the status of SMEs.”

Let us explain that in this way the authorities expect to save business from growth “shocks”: now companies that have outgrown the SME criteria cannot qualify for the usual support. Output problems arise due to tightening control, increasing administrative burden and rising taxes. Previously, the Ministry of Economy indicated that the “gap” in the support system discourages the further development of fast-growing companies, which is why the majority of SMEs+ continue to “operate with indicators close to SMEs.” That is why business associations also insisted on the need to support such enterprises (see “Kommersant” dated October 9).

The criteria for classifying companies as SMEs+ will be determined by a separate government resolution.

It is clear for now that we are not talking about all companies in the “transition” category, but only about those that operate in priority sectors and are not affiliated with the state.

According to Kommersant, the revenue threshold for such enterprises will be 10 billion rubles, the number of employees – 1,500 people. It was these parameters that Minister of Economy Maxim Reshetnikov spoke about when speaking at the closed part of the strategic session on the development of the SME sector in September.

Currently, there are only 800 companies that fall under these criteria. As follows from the explanatory note, it is proposed to extend the “credit guarantee support” measures for them, including the preferential investment lending program and “umbrella” guarantees. These mechanisms, we note, are considered one of the most effective and popular (see “Kommersant” dated June 9). According to estimates by the Ministry of Economy, extending the measures until 2030 will allow SMEs+ to attract more than 900 billion rubles for investment projects. Company income could grow by more than 35%, to 11.34 trillion rubles, and the number of employees – by 13%, to 955 thousand people.

The authorities’ interest in companies of the “transitional” category is understandable: the goals of replacing foreign suppliers of goods and technologies cannot be achieved with the help of SMEs.

Let us remind you that now the sector consists mainly of micro-enterprises engaged in trade (see “Kommersant” dated October 24), and its reconstruction, as the authorities admit, will take several years. SME+ is more in line with their hopes for companies that can provide “accelerated import substitution”.

Kristina Borovikova