Van Nam
HCMC’s Party chief Le Thanh Hai (R) talks to Nguyen Van Tri, director of Lap Phuc Precision Mold Co., at a meeting in the city on March 3 - PHOTO: VAN NAM
Hang Vay Chi, general director of Viet Huong Joint Stock Company, told a meeting between the city’s leaders with 120 businesses yesterday that it was hard for SMEs to borrow from banks.
He proposed the city establish a fund for SMEs with 10-20 employees each and help them find land and factory space at low rents.
Huynh Van Minh, chairman of the HCMC Business Association, warned that SMEs will have to cope with more challenges between now and 2020 when Vietnam fulfills its commitments to more bilateral and multilateral trade agreements.
Besides the financing issue, Minh called for the city government to improve the quality of human resources and further simplify administrative procedures to assist enterprises in better dealing with challenges from the nation’s further integration into the regional and global economies.
Minh suggested that in the long term the city should open a business school to develop human resources for enterprises.
Banks said they do not lack capital to lend to enterprises but borrowing from banks is tough for enterprises, Minh said. He pointed out the low disbursement rate of 10% of the VND30-trillion home loan package in the past year as a case in point.
Nguyen Xuan Han, general director of Phu Nhuan Services Joint Stock Company (Maseco), said domestic enterprises are struggling to survive and retain market share on both home and overseas markets. More Vietnamese brands have fallen into the hands of foreign firms.
Therefore, Han said local enterprises are in dire need of more supporting policies and easier procedures from the Government to ride out the challenges arising from the country’s deeper integration.
Han bemoaned that it took him nearly four months to complete procedures and get certification from seven to eight agencies for renewing his APEC business card. “I think procedures remain too complicated and make life hard for businesses,” he said.
Le Thanh Hai, secretary of the HCMC Party Committee, told the meeting that a host of challenges will be ahead this year, so enterprises should prepare for that. He stressed the city government will try to improve the business environment.
HCMC’s vice chairman Tat Thanh Cang said the city is set to reduce the time for enterprises to prepare, file and pay taxes to 121.5 hours a year in 2015 from the 167 hours last year, insurance payment to 49.5 hours from 108 hours, customs clearance to 13 days from 14 days, and business startups to a maximum of six days.
Đăng ký: VietNam News