SMEs seek govt intervention on payment irregularities of large players

14 May 2012 Evaluate

To do away with the unfair business practice, the traders from small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) have sought government intervention with the setting up of a full-fledged regulator which will ensure the timely payment of all invoices by the big players - the biggest problem faced by the SMEs.

It is reported that the problem of late payment is continuously affecting the cash flows of several SMEs and severely restricting the efficiency of their business. Hard hit mid-sized companies have demanded the authorities to put into effect some rigorous regulation and play a proactive part in doing away with this disorder. The deteriorating cash flow of the small scale units is mainly due to payment irregularities of large players.

The SMEs say that there are very few big firms who follow the payment norms of 45 days and give a pathetic excuse of not receiving the bills, which is always sent along with delivery of goods. Further, the large companies attribute the delays in settlement of payment of bills to lengthy and complex bill passing procedures, following the cheque preparation, signing and handing-over procedure, which entails a few weeks to months to come up with a final payment. Moreover, the interest reclaiming is another matter of concern for the mid-sized companies.

In order to control the growing threat of overdue invoices, the representatives of several small firms have submitted their suggestions in a survey, thereby helping the small traders to get their accounts paid much more quickly while keeping all of their clients happy without facing any disagreement.

Among the suggested policy, the introduction of credit policy in an organization has been voted as the best way to protect the revenue of the business. The credit policy not only guarantees good commercial practice but also protects the revenue. The creation of credit policy involves a secured copy of all invoices in a file, along with a weekly check on them and acts accordingly.

Further, the establishment of an SME certificate-issuing body has also been suggested as the measure to break the late payment chain, which would have powers to keep a close watch on big firms, conduct audit at regular intervals, and issue No Objection Certificates (NOCs). In addition, the industry also wants the body to come up with defined credit-period among the parties and in case the period has not been mentioned, it should include the maximum number of days to clear the payments. The system should also include the lenders to offer a collective system of operation of settling the payment and the credit period.

The government on its part offers a legal approach for SMEs facing such a problem in Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development (MSMED) Act, 2006. It is aimed to facilitate the promotion and development besides competitiveness enhancement of MSMEs.

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