Small business support group formed in the Parliament
A new group in support of small businesses was formed in the Parliament on Thursday.
Led by the former finance minister, now Reform Party MP Maris Lauri, the aim of the group is to support and protect the interests of small businesses at the parliamentary level, and to promote an economic environment that is favorable to businesses.
"It is important to contribute to the positive image of going into business, and to raise social awareness on the importance of businesses," Lauri explained the need behind the foundation.
Lauri said that 98 percent of Estonian businesses are defined as small, yet they employ more than one half of the Estonian labor force and contribute over one half of the total national turnover of businesses, including in export.
"It is natural for large businesses to grow out of the small ones, which makes it important at the parliamentary level to deal with the specific issues of micro and small businesses. A very large number of businesses have complained about the excessive bureaucracy and accounting, as well as about taxation. Conflicting wishes abound and this has caused offence when someone's interests are perceived to be ignored. In my opinion, we should concentrate more on finding a common ground and bringing ideas closer together," Lauri added.
A few dozen members of the Parliament have already joined the support group.
Editor: S. Tambur