Small business should be at the center of structural changes in the economy, according to "Opora Rossii".

The Russian economy in the context of sanctions restrictions needs structural reforms, which should be largely associated with small and medium-sized businesses, says the head of "Opora Rossii" Alexander Kalinin.

"In many respects it is SMEs that shape the level of energy activity in society. We have always said that the structure of our economy is focused on big business. But the economy should move on two legs - it's small and big business," he said.

Kalinin recalled that the new sanctions packages target the financial sector and raw materials processing. "And it is now the role and contribution to the economy of SMEs comes to the fore," he said.

The expert pointed out that according to the latest available data, in 2020 - the contribution of SMEs to the country's GDP was 20.4%, employment 30%. At the same time, we need to focus on 40% and 50%, respectively, Kalinin believes.

"Now the figures do not say that we have inactive people, it's just the way our economy is structured. Of course, this requires a structural transformation. Measures are already being taken in packages, some of them have been discussed for a long time," he stressed.

According to him, today the business receives unprecedented support from the state, but the work to improve the business climate must continue. "The legislation should indicate the inadmissibility of discrimination against small businesses, the responsibility of the authorities to provide a favorable environment for the development of small businesses. A ban on formalism and the development of the principle of "think about small business" is necessary, as well as a new investment model for small businesses," he said.

Big points of growth are now projected in agriculture and farming, the head of the organization added. "But there is a need to create a new supply chain for subsistence farms. We don't have farmers today who can't get their goods into the commodity distribution networks. We have to return to the ideas of consumer cooperation, trade unions and use the state concessional loans to create a distribution network," he explained.

In addition, it is necessary to support small industrial enterprises. "We have only 300 thousand small and medium-sized companies operating in the industrial sector. Another 300 thousand in construction," Kalinin stated.

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Author: Alexandra ZaslavskayaMade
in Russia // Made in Russia