Chamber head begs gov't: Show empathy to small businesses

TT Chamber of Industry and Commerce CEO, Gabriel Faria. -
TT Chamber of Industry and Commerce CEO, Gabriel Faria. -

CEO of the TT Chamber of Commerce Gabriel Faria says government should show more empathy to small businesses and ramp up the delivery of salary relief grants.

At the Health Ministry’s virtual press conference on Tuesday morning, Finance Minister Colm Imbert said the micro-, small-, and medium-enterprise sector would receive $300 million through a loan programme, under which the government would subsidise the interest and provide partial collateral.

While Faria said Imbert’s news was positive, more clarity is needed, as people don’t know who qualifies for the programme, how one can qualify and what the procedure is.

He added that the ministry has not been delivering salary relief grants quickly enough.

“Many businesses have been closed since the middle of March. When I talked to businesses that had to lay off staff, they said more than 70 per cent of the employees have not received the grants,” he reported.

Faria said the government is showing indifference towards small businesses and it has resulted in desperation. He said many other countries’ governments are showing empathy to small businesses, and TT could do better.

“The government has an excellent way of talking and a horrible way of doing. They say all these things.

"Businesses have VAT returns outstanding for years. In October, they’re told they’re gonna get VAT return. They got it in April – but they didn’t even get all. Some. Some people got 15 per cent of what was owed.”

He said there is a belief in a “false dichotomy” that the business community believes the economy should take priority over health. He assured the public there is “no debate” over a choice between livelihood and lives.

“If you don’t have lives, you don’t have livelihood. But you must strike a balance

“The first form of empathy, if you’re going to take away people’s ability to earn money, is to reimburse them for that. If you’ve closed someone’s business down and you give them nothing and you don’t speak to them, that’s the opposite of empathy.

"And in the current environment, I don’t think communication alone is going to do it. A business that hasn’t earned in over two months is going to need a whole lot more than communication.”

He also dismissed claims that he is seeking personal assistance in the form of money from the government. He said he is simply speaking on behalf of the business community.

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"Chamber head begs gov’t: Show empathy to small businesses"

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