Government and Local Authorities Take Initiative in Early Purchase and Prepayment of Small Business Products

Announcement of Additional Measures to Ease Burdens on Small Business Owners and the Self-Employed

With high interest rates and delayed domestic demand recovery overlapping, small business owners continue to face difficulties. To alleviate their burdens, the government and local governments have decided to promote advance purchases and prepayments.

On the 13th, Choi Sang-mok, Acting Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance, visited the Small Business Federation Digital Education Center to hold a 'Livelihood Economy Inspection Meeting,' where he listened to opinions from organizations and associations related to small business owners and self-employed individuals. Prior to the meeting, the government and small business-related associations signed a joint public-private agreement for the 'Good Advance Purchase and Prepayment' campaign.

The government announced two comprehensive measures for small business owners and the self-employed in July and December last year to support easing management burdens, expanding sales bases, and providing recovery support. However, considering that difficulties for small business owners persist, an 'additional burden relief plan' has been prepared this time.

Choe Sang-mok, Acting President and Deputy Prime Minister as well as Minister of Economy and Finance (center), is taking a commemorative photo after the agreement ceremony for good pre-purchase and prepayment with organizations including the Small Business Federation. Provided by the Small Business Federation

First, the 'Good Advance Purchase and Prepayment' campaign will be promoted. The main content is to make advance purchases through budgets, focusing on necessary procurement items for the government and local governments. In addition, local governments and their affiliated public institutions will be encouraged to make advance payments to external restaurants they usually use, and efforts will be made to expand this to the private sector as well. The government plans to actively encourage government and local government office cafeterias to close one to two days a week and for employees to use external restaurants.

Regarding the mandatory installation of barrier-free kiosks to improve accessibility for people with disabilities, which will be fully implemented from next year, related agencies will cooperate to prepare burden relief measures for small business owners within the first half of the year.

Furthermore, additional support measures to ease the difficulties of small business owners will be promoted, including the Onnuri gift certificate refund event in March, reduction of the self-pay rate for data voucher support for micro small business owners, and review of expanding the job scope in the pilot project of the employment permit system for the restaurant industry.

Acting Prime Minister Choi said, "The government will closely monitor the implementation status of the previously announced measures and this additional supplementary plan through joint efforts of related ministries and will consider additional measures if necessary."

Minister Oh Young-joo of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, who attended the meeting, also said, "As the frontline ministry of the livelihood economy, we will focus our capabilities on the recovery and leap of small business owners and the self-employed," adding, "We will promptly execute the small business budget and actively cooperate with related ministries to ease their burdens."