以“硬约束”破解中小企业“要债难”

Core Viewpoint - The newly revised "Regulations on Ensuring Payment of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises" aims to address the issue of "difficulty in debt collection" faced by SMEs through a series of "hard constraints" measures, emphasizing the importance of SMEs in the economy [1][3]. Group 1: Importance of SMEs - SMEs contribute over 50% of tax revenue, create more than 60% of GDP, and provide over 80% of urban employment, making them a key engine for economic growth, job absorption, and innovation [1]. - The difficulty in debt collection for SMEs is largely due to their relatively weak market position compared to larger enterprises, which have greater bargaining power [1][2]. Group 2: Impact of Delayed Payments - Delayed payments severely impact SMEs' cash flow, leading to inability to pay for raw materials, production stagnation, and operational difficulties [2]. - The inability to predict cash recovery timelines disrupts SMEs' normal development, hindering investment plans, R&D, equipment updates, and market expansion, ultimately resulting in loss of market competitiveness [2]. - Delayed payments also affect credit ratings, increasing financing difficulties and creating a vicious cycle that can lead to business closures, impacting the stability of the entire industry chain [2]. Group 3: New Regulations - The revised regulations provide a legal basis for SMEs to pursue overdue payments, with increased penalties for delayed payments [3]. - Key provisions include ensuring government project funding is secured, requiring payment within 30 days for government purchases from SMEs, and 60 days for large enterprises [3]. - A national complaint platform for overdue payments will be established, with a maximum processing time of 90 days, and local governments are mandated to enhance oversight mechanisms [3]. Group 4: Implementation and Environment - The implementation of "hard constraints" is essential for optimizing the business environment and promoting high-quality economic development [4]. - Effective execution requires collaboration across legal, regulatory, and credit systems to create a fair, orderly, and trustworthy business environment for SMEs [4].