Small businesses urged to exploit budget measures

Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi has urged small businesses to take advantage of the measures introduced in the last budget that are of particular help to family businesses.

Dr Gonzi was speaking at the opening of a conference which brought together representatives of government entities and of business organisations and co-operatives to discuss the government's work in the commercial sector, with particular emphasis on small business and the self employed.

Parliamentary Secretary for Small Business and the Self Employed Edwin Vassallo said small and micro enterprises employed 66 per cent of persons in the private sector.

Together they contribute 38.7 per cent of the economy's value added made by the private sector, while 16.9 per cent of investment made by the private sector comes from small and micro-enterprises, he said.

Some 40 per cent of all small and micro businesses are in the wholesale and retail sector. [via]