Members of Congress continue to toss around ideas to help small businesses dig out of the recession. The latest suggestion: appoint a special U.S. trade representative to focus on the needs of small companies.
The idea was floated by Senators Mary Landrieu, D-La., Olympia J. Snowe, R-Maine, and Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y, who wrote a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Ronald Kirk asking him to add an assistant to help out with small-business issues.
“Increasing exports among small firms is good not only for small businesses but also for the economy and our nation,” Sens. Landrieu, Snowe and Schumer said in the letter, which also pointed out that very few U.S.-based small businesses currently export. If more did, the senators surmised, it could help chip away at the country’s trade deficit.
“We believe that during trade negotiations, a small business expert in the highest realms of trade policy is necessary to ensure the needs and concerns of small businesses are addressed,” the senators said in the letter. “A high-ranking advocate for small business is vital to removing trade barriers and ensuring that small businesses are given systematic consideration in trade policy.”
We’ve written about small businesses that find there’s more opportunity overseas than close to home. But with the dollar volatile and the world economy shaky, selling abroad certainly is no panacea. Selling abroad can be expensive, and it takes a lot of ground work to learn each country’s rules and customs. And, while government support is nice, for a company to export successfully it takes real demand for the products or services.
Readers, do you think a trade representative focused on small exporters is a good idea? Or is this lip service from politicians?
No comments:
Post a Comment