I. Metshin: "The new conditions require unprecedented measures to support small businesses”

(Kazan City KZN.RU, February 15). Today at the Business Monday in the Executive Committee of Kazan new program to support small and medium businesses of the city was announced. "We conduct appropriate consultations with entrepreneurs from beginning of the year - the Mayor of Kazan Ilsur Metshin said. - Today the winter is not only in nature, but also in the economy, so we have to create special conditions for our small businesses".

Today small and medium business in Kazan is a third of the gross territorial product, a third of the total working population of the city and almost a fifth of all tax revenues of the city budget, reminded the deputy head of the city's Executive Committee for Economic Development Ivan Kuznetsov and noted that in the current economic instability burden on small businesses has increased twice. He analyzed the results of the work to support SMB in the Kazan in 2015 and addressed to the Mayor with a request to make the program on even more loyal conditions. "Small business is able to generate new jobs and new growth points actively. In general it has an effective influence on diversification and improving the efficiency of the economy. That is why it is what we really need now,"- with these words he finished his speech.

Commenting on the report of Kuznetsov, the Mayor noted that the new economic conditions require new solutions, something that has been done before is no longer enough. "Small businesses can be compared with the seedlings. If you take care of them, they can quickly grow and bear fruit. Otherwise they either freeze, or dry up, or something will crush them", - he said and called the three major innovations that will be implemented in the spring.

The first is to increase the volume of soft loans to small businesses operating in the priority sectors of the city from 5 to 10-15 million rubles.

The second is an opportunity to get a loan with zero interest rate for the first year due to adequate compensation from the city budget. The Mayor instructed to discuss the list of industries, for which such unprecedented opportunities will be created, at the next Coordinating Council for Entrepreneurship.

The third is the possibility of renting of municipal facilities at zero rental rates for the first two years and on unprecedented favorable terms for the remaining three years. "It is essential that entrepreneurs can renovate premises, buy equipment and begin work stably," - I. Metshin concluded.

Ilsur Metshin instructed Committee of the Land and Property Relations and Economic Development Committee submit the relevant finished program and a complete list of facilities before the end of February. "These conditions must be absolutely transparent and equally accessible for all", - the head of the city said.

"We hope that this will save jobs and create new lines of business. The market is very big, in the same souvenir market is the untilled field. There are many services that need to be organized in connection with the growing number of visiting tourists, and there will be more – at the Confederations Cup, the World Cup. We are waiting for guaranteed stream of tourists for next three years. This wave crest is necessary not only to keep, but to get to a happy, quiet, economically stable future on it. To do this, we need to operate and maintain small and medium business", - the Mayor concluded.