It is no secret that the presence of a well-developed small and medium business provides a number of undeniable advantages for the country's economy. This is the creation of new jobs and self-employment of the population. In addition, this is an increase in taxes and an increase in gross domestic product. The development of small business is an improvement in the quality of life of the country's population, because small enterprises can most quickly adapt to changes in the requirements of the modern market. It is for this that the state has developed programs for small businesses. It is much easier to open a business with state support, however, not all young entrepreneurs are familiar with the intricacies of getting it.
Small Business Development Program in Russia
The strategy for socio-economic development of Russia until 2020 states that assistance to medium and small businesses is one of the main elements of the state economic policy. According to experts, such measures should promote the development of healthy competition and give citizens the opportunity to improve their financial situation. In addition to the existing forms of subsidies, the new concept adopted qualitatively new types of state support for small businesses aimed at stimulating the growth in the number of business entities, as well as changing their industry structure. Among the new goals of the state development strategy, one can see the following:
- reduction of bureaucratic red tape during business registration and its development;
- simplification of the tax system for small businesses;
- reduction in the number of products subject to certification;
- improving the efficiency of state regulation in the field of licensing;
- the possibility of using various sources of financing.
Regional Business Support Program
Along with the state, regional measures of state support for small and medium-sized businesses also apply. Such assistance, in particular, can be expressed in the creation of business incubators, venture and guarantee funds, as well as in the additional stimulation of enterprises whose activities are export-oriented. In addition, the regions also adopt comprehensive programs to stimulate entrepreneurial activity, within which funds are allocated for:
- development of leasing purchase of equipment;
- support for enterprises engaged in innovative activities;
- creation of industrial and technology parks;
- improving energy efficiency of enterprises;
- development and support of startups;
- the creation of various guarantee funds;
- introduction of continuing education programs for young entrepreneurs, assistance in starting a business.
Subsidy Terms
All forms of state support for small businesses represent a one-time state aid, which should be used to implement a specific task in the framework of the enterprise. You will not have to return such assistance in the future, however, the state will control the targeted spending of funds.
In order to receive financial support from the state, an enterprise must meet several criteria:
- be officially registered as an IP or LLC (information must be contained in the state register);
- have a properly drawn up business plan, which outlines specific areas for spending subsidized funds;
- the owner of the enterprise must be a citizen of Russia, and with equity participation, a resident of the Russian Federation should own at least 51% of the total authorized capital.
To apply for a state subsidy can not enterprises operating in the field of:
- insurance;
- the provision of banking or other credit services;
- release and sale of excisable goods;
- gambling business;
- mining operations;
- securities market.
Who can apply?
In addition to the conditions listed above, state support for small businesses provides for the observance of some more conditions for receiving development subsidies:
- at the time of filing, the company must be registered less than 2 years ago;
- the total number of employees may not exceed 250 people;
- with share participation, the share of state and municipal partners in the authorized capital cannot exceed 25%;
- a complete absence of tax debt is required;
- income for the previous 12 months may not exceed 1 billion rubles.
If a business entity meets all of the above criteria and wishes to receive a subsidy, it must submit an application to a regional institution supporting small and medium-sized businesses by October 1 of this year.
What will they give money for
In addition to the fact that state support for small and medium-sized businesses, as we have already found out, may not be provided to all enterprises, it will not work to spend it as you like. There are certain parameters for this. So, you can spend the subsidy:
- for the purchase, modernization and repair of fixed assets;
- hiring new employees or improving working conditions for existing ones;
- to purchase, update and install licensed software;
- on rent for the use of production and office premises;
- to invest in raw materials.
If you are only thinking about starting your own business, and have not yet decided on the direction, you should know that the priorities for the allocation of state subsidies are:
- housing and communal services, transport services and construction;
- any production (except for excisable goods);
- public services;
- youth support and development programs;
- innovative developments;
- social sphere development - sport, culture, education;
- the revival of crafts and the original culture of peoples.
If you still decide to engage in trade, then the state support for the development of small business is most likely “not shining” for you, although it’s worth trying, of course. To increase your chances, try to target your products to socially vulnerable groups of the population - low-income families, people with disabilities, senior citizens and so on. Select a separate line in your business plan to work with these categories.
How to get a subsidy
So, how to get state support for small businesses? There are two ways - it all depends on what kind of help you want to receive: to open a new business or to develop an existing young enterprise. In the first case, you have a direct road to the employment center, and in the second you need to contact the investment department. Before applying, you need to carefully study the procedure for submitting documents and stock up with all the necessary papers.
Employment Center
State support of small business for a beginner begins with registration in the employment service and obtaining unemployment status. It is best to contact this institution in advance and get comprehensive advice on the preparation of the necessary documents, as well as the amount and procedure for payment of compensation due. However, you can skip this step and prepare the documents yourself. You will need originals and copies:
- passports
- labor book (if any);
- diploma;
- income statements, if you were previously officially employed;
- certificates of marriage or its dissolution, if at the same time there was a change of surname.
Having prepared everything you need, go to the registration. Immediately inform the inspector of the intention to receive a subsidy for opening an IP.This will help not to waste time searching for suitable vacancies, but to proceed immediately to the development of a business plan, which subsequently will have to be defended before the commission. Based on the results of BP protection, a decision will be made on the allocation of a subsidy in the amount of 58,800 rubles, compensation for the costs of registering an IP, or denial of state support. If the last thing happened and you were refused, do not worry, the law does not limit the number of attempts. Just create another business plan and go through the procedure again.
The Department
If your company is already operating, it is worth thinking about getting a certain amount for its development. State support for small businesses in this case is carried out by the investment department. To take advantage of the subsidy, you need to prepare:
- certificate of registration of legal entity or FLP;
- copies of statutory documents;
- a certificate from the employment center on training in entrepreneurial activity;
- certificates of absence of debts on taxes and fees from the FSS, the tax service and other organizations;
- a certificate stating that the company is not at the liquidation stage;
- a document stating that after the registration of the enterprise more than 6 months have passed;
- a document confirming that the criminal or admin proceedings are not open against this organization;
- passport (original and copy);
- the original and a copy of the power of attorney, if the documents are not submitted by the owner;
- business plan;
- application for a subsidy;
- bank statement on opening a current account.
Submission Procedure
After the entire package of documents has been collected, it is transferred to the executive committee. It is best to do this in person, through the office or take the help of the curator of the employment service.
Consideration and adoption of documents should be completed within seven days, after which a decision will be made. If you are denied, we go through the whole procedure first. If the commission made a positive decision, your business plan is transferred to the next instance, where it is also reviewed and approved.
The law establishes that the meeting of the commissions takes place upon receipt and accumulation of business plans, so receiving subsidies can be quite delayed. Usually, the date of the next meeting of the commission is indicated on the official website of the investment department.
As you can see, state support for small business is not an easy and rather troublesome task, but it is still worth it to get started - with a good business plan, the chances of getting money for development are quite high.
