SME taskforce 'needed to save businesses' - Kildare Chamber
Alan Shine says that cash is drying up for many businesses, and many especially in the tourism, hospitality and leisure industries 'see no light at the end of the tunnel'.
In addition to the supports for business announced by the Cabinet over the weekend, the Chamber has called for an immediate setting up of an SME taskforce 'to influence change in Kildare Street'.
“It has now become very clear that government and the political system at large need private sector influence," Mr Shine says. "We do not need access to loans, we do not need endless grants that are not addressing the issues we face. We need certainty, we need state backed accessible grants that are meaningful. We are facing the largest deepest recession in our lifetime, we need clear, precise and decisive action."
He added that the country also requires a functioning government now, 'not hopefully in June', and he says that the certainty which business needs is not being provided by the present government.
“What is apparent now is the urgency of the creation of a new government that will support business in the country in the midst of the financial crisis we face. Businesses are closing on a daily basis, employers are facing tough decisions ... as to if they see themselves being able to reopen over the coming weeks, and the supports announced ... whilst welcomed, do not go far enough."
He noted that among the immediate concerns of the Chamber's members are landlords who will not engage with their tenants, aged creditors, and a changing business environment when the country emerges from this crisis.
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