RUSSIAN SME SECTOR: DESPERATELY SEEKING SOLUTIONS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MOSCOW 001136 SIPDIS STATE FOR EUR/RUS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECON EFIN EINV RS SUBJECT: RUSSIAN SME SECTOR: DESPERATELY SEEKING SOLUTIONS ¶1. (U) This message is sensitive but unclassified and not for internet distribution. -------------- Summary -------------- ¶2. (U) The economic crisis has hit Russian SMEs hard, resulting in significant setbacks to the sector's development. Access to credit, administrative barriers, corruption, and high levels of taxation continue to be the most serious obstacles. Hoping that the sector will feature more prominently in Russia's future economic growth, President Medvedev and other GOR officials have been vocal in their support and have refocused attention on promoting SMEs. The impact of their policy initiatives, however, has yet to be seen. -------------- SMEs Pessimistic About Future -------------- ¶3. (U) According to the latest OPORA (small business association) survey of 300 SMEs from 30 Russian regions, 28.4% state that their current business situation is bleak. Citing a lack of credit and high interest rates, 47.6% expect business prospects for SMEs to deteriorate further during the coming months. Shrinking demand and delayed payments are further exacerbating their financial situation. Price reductions, and wage, personnel, and production cuts are options for coping with the crisis, but are considered by many SMEs as measures of last resort. Finally, the poll notes that only 4 percent of SMEs have stated that they see no alternative to selling their business. ¶4. (U) According to the poll, many SMEs have been forced to strive for better cost efficiency, in some cases enhancing their competitiveness within their own niche markets and in other sectors. The crisis has also resulted in other "benefits" for SMEs. More qualified personnel have come onto the labor market, and reduced demand for commercial space has led to lower rents. -------------- GOR Attempts to Rejuvenate SME Sector -------------- ¶5. (U) Business NGOs such as OPORA and Delovaya Rossia are using the crisis to demonstrate their effectiveness in lobbying with the government and translating SME sector concerns into concrete legislative proposals. Measures advocated by these organizations include: (1) increasing by 43 percent the total amount of money channeled to the SME sector from the federal budget; (2) introducing tax holidays; and, (3) freezing tariffs for electricity, gas, and other natural monopolies. ¶6. (U) The GOR has recently adopted a number of measures to support SME development. For example, the implementation date of the new SME inspection law has been moved up from July 1 to May 1. The law is intended to reduce the frequency and duration of government inspections and instill greater transparency by creating an official schedule, made available to the public, listing all planned inspections. The law also introduces an inspection registration ledger for entrepreneurs to monitor the process. The ledger is intended top provide a clear record of inspection activities, allowing SMEs to comply with requirements and prevent violations by tax authorities. ¶7. (U) The law simplifies business licensing and registration by requiring SMEs to submit a simple notification rather obtaining separate approvals from a multitude of agencies. The GOR hopes that the reduction in cost and time needed for businesses to begin activity will boost ht number of SME start-ups in Russia. ¶8. (U) Additional GOR measures include acceleration and streamlining of the approval process for SMEs seeking a pre-emptive right to purchase leased real estate at market prices. On March 31, Economic Development Minister Nabiullina reported that SMEs had already submitted 581 applications, of which 392 had been approved. The GOR is also expected to adopt a decree significantly decreasing lease payments for state- or municipally-owned real estate in the near future. ¶9. (U) The GOR is also continuing its efforts to provide benefits to SMEs in their transactions with natural monopolies. At the end of 2008, the GOR approved a decree to decrease electricity grid connection charges for SMEs by about 20 to 40 times, depending upon the region. On December 30, Medvedev signed amendments to the federal procurement law, requiring municipal authorities to establish procurement quotas for SMEs (similar to those introduced at the federal and regional levels). According to Deputy MED Minister Anna Popova, the GOR is also preparing amendments stipulating that Russia's natural monopolies give preference to SMEs in awarding outsourcing contracts, although details are still being developed. According to MED forecasts, this would result in about MOSCOW 00001136 002 OF 002 one trillion rubles in orders for SME goods and services. -------------- Tax Incentives -------------- ¶10. (U) On April 22, Prime Minister Putin also announced a number of new tax initiatives to help SMEs cope with the economic crisis. Putin proposed raising the threshold for small businesses access to the simplified tax system from 30 million rubles in annual revenues to 60 million rubles ($1.77 million); making funds that SMEs receive under federal or regional SME support programs tax-deductible; and, eliminating a requirement that all SMEs that pay taxes on imputed income must use cash registers. GOR agencies must present legislation eliminating mandatory cash register use to the Duma by July 1. -------------- Support for Regional Programs -------------- ¶11. (U) Putin also promised that the 2009 budget allocation for SME support would be increased from 10.5 billion rubles ($290 million) to 25.5 billion rubles ($700 million),to be used for regional programs. In order for a region to qualify, it must co-finance up to 30% of the federal funding and propose concrete spending plans. ¶12. (U) The GOR program supports regional initiatives in the following areas: grants of about US$ 8,300 to qualified start-up businesses that create new jobs, which is especially critical given rising regional unemployment; regional guarantee funds that cover up to 70% of the loan amount; subsidization of interest rates of up to 10% of the annual interest charged by commercial banks; and, financing for microloans and regional microfinance organizations. Through the program, regional microfinance organizations would be able to get up to 1 million rubles from the federal budget for on-lending to microenterprises. The MED expects the program to extend up to 20,000 loans in 2009, which would maintain and/or create about 500,000 jobs. ¶14. (U) The VEB (VneshEconom Bank) is implementing its own SME support program, which provides financing to 63 regional banks for on-lending to regional SMEs, as well as providing credit cooperatives and microfinance organizations with loans and loan guarantees. The state has already channeled 30 billion rubles (US$ 0.8 billion) to VEB for 2009. According to VEB, since the beginning of 2008, SMEs participating in its program have on average increased revenues by 41 percent, jobs - by 39 percent, and tax payments to regional budgets - by 32 percent. -------------- Comment -------------- ¶15. (U) While the crisis is seriously constraining SME sector development, some SMEs see opportunities to grow by cutting costs, introducing new technologies, and increasing labor and capital productivity. The success of these efforts will depend on the GOR's ability to fine-tune the legal and institutional environment. In that regard, the GOR is moving forward with many initiatives to help SMEs that had been stuck either in the Duma or in various GOR agencies. Moreover, despite cuts in federal budget expenditures, the GOR appears committed to SME programs and has even increased financing for SME sector support. ¶16. (U) Comment, cont.: However, as the economic crisis continues, it appears that more budgetary resources will be channeled into social spending (unemployment compensation, job retraining, and other employment support programs) at the expense of other priorities, including SME development. Government job support programs could help SMEs but will most likely be targeted at the larger employers (often state corporations) and the single-company towns, primarily in heavy industry, minerals extraction, and automobile manufacturing. Lastly, it is unlikely in the foreseeable future that the government will have sufficient funds to invest in the infrastructure (e.g., higher education, R&D) that would enhance the environment for more rapid SME growth. Therefore, despite its rhetoric and some good initial steps, the impact of GOR policies remains to be seen. End comment. BEYRLE