Small and Medium Business Ombudsman Holds 'Small Business On-Site Meeting'
"Supporting Small Business Owners to Manage in Better Conditions"
Inconveniences caused by discrepancies between the Onnuri gift certificate merchant information and the actual situation are expected to be resolved within August.
The Small and Medium Business Ombudsman announced on the 17th that it held the first on-site meeting with small business owners this year in Daegu Buk-gu, together with the Daegu-Gyeongbuk Regional Headquarters of the Small Enterprise and Market Service.
During the meeting, there was a suggestion regarding the updating of Onnuri gift certificate merchant information. It was pointed out that after finding merchant information and visiting the store, inconveniences occurred because cases where the store had relocated or closed were not properly reflected, meaning the Onnuri gift certificate merchant information differed from the actual situation.
The Ministry of SMEs and Startups responded, "We will accept the suggestion and coordinate with the National Tax Service to receive merchant data by the end of June and reflect it in the system," adding, "After checking for errors, we will update the merchant information to match the actual situation by August."
Additionally, there was a request for investigation and improvement regarding unfair trade practices by online shopping mall operators. Small business owner Mr. K said, "I joined a large online shopping mall, but the policy discount burden is passed on to small business owners, and even when discounts are applied, commissions are charged based on the original price," adding, "The settlement system takes about three months, worsening cash flow."
The Fair Trade Commission expressed agreement on the need for regular investigations into unfair practices and informed that it conducts fact-finding surveys on unfair practices targeting suppliers dealing with large-scale distributors every year in the second half.
Besides these, participants also suggested on-site regulatory and hardship issues such as ▲easing the installation of digital signboards within shopping districts ▲applying consistent standards for household waste management ▲relaxing eligibility requirements and simplifying documentation for unemployment benefits for self-employed individuals ▲improving unfair contracts to protect franchise store owners.
Kim Hee-soon, head of the Ombudsman Support Group, said, "We will continue to take the lead in supporting small business owners to operate their businesses in better environments."
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