SMALL and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) feel that a reduction incorporate tax and electricity tariffs will be more effective in helping them deal with the impact of the global economic crisis.
The Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia (ACCCIM) said that a majority of respondents to its 2009 SME Survey indicated that their businesses had yet to benefit or see any impact fromthe various assistance programmes and stimulus packages offered by the government.
"This is probably because the stimulus package is still new and needs time to take effect and changes will only be seen in the long run,"ACCCIM president Tan Sri William Cheng said in Kuala Lumpur on its findings.
He said the SMEs expressed hopes that the government could revert to the electricity rate before the 26 per cent increase in June last year.
Such quick fixes have been used before, Cheng said, citing the 40 per cent electricity tariff subsidy to the manufacturing sector during the previous economic crisis, which was gradually adjusted when the economy recovered.
Cheng also said that the SMEs would welcome a corporate tax cut of 1-2 per cent.
"If that's not possible, we hope the government can give a two-year temporary reduction and the SMEs can use the surplus as working capital."
The ACCCIM survey, conducted from March 25 to April 25, covered 1,231 respondents, or 61.6 per cent of the 2,000 sets of survey papers sent out.
Cheng said the survey also indicated a lack of awareness among industry players of the various programmes and schemes offered by the government, such as the SME Assistance Facility, SME Modernisation Facility and SME Assistance Guarantee Scheme.
Despite the tough times, the SMEs gave their assurance that retrenchments would be the last resort.
Cheng said the association would submit its survey findings soon to the Finance Ministry, Bank Negara Malaysia and the Economic Planning Unit.
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