IRISH SMALL AND medium enterprises say that the government is not doing enough to help the sector.

The latest ISME Government Satisfaction Ratings show that members of the association feel that banking and business costs are affecting their ability to do business.

The satisfaction survey is based on questions put to 1,000 small and medium businesses that asks for their opinions on the government’s efforts on banking, costs, jobs and overall.

The business cost indicator has improved slightly, coming up to -68 from -69, while banking has increased from -65 to -61.

ISME says that these figures reflect the lowering of lending targets for SMEs by Government in January and an increase in refusals for loans reported in the ISME Bank Watch survey, as well as what ISME calls “the lack of any government initiative to tackle issues such as legacy leases and energy costs”.

The satisfaction rating on government jobs initiatives has climbed three points to -21, but overall government satisfaction among small and medium businesses is down two points to -32.

ISME chief Mark Fielding says the government should focus on competitiveness.

“Government must tackle the key issues of business costs and bank credit and prioritise the restoration of our competitiveness.

“All costs, including public sector and legacy business costs must be benchmarked against our immediate international competitors. We must also expose sheltered sectors to greater competition in an effort to reduce all business costs and increase competitiveness for Irish SMEs.”

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