sou · GNB349 · 2000-01-01 00:00:00 — Moreover, it is proposed that the Commission reviewing the activities of be specially instructed to observe the immigrant company's dependence on the procurement procedure. A person acquiring a business operated from rented premises cannot at present appeal to the rent tribunal if the acquirer is rejected as a of the premises. Only the holder of the tenancy has this right. The Commission proposes that the acquirer of a business shall also be able to appeal to the rent tribunal to have the matter of transfer of the rental right reviewed. The Commission considers that a better statistical basis is needed for decision on measures for immigrant entrepreneurship and increased research in these issues. The Commission proposes that million per year be made available primarily for research and investigation activity. Growth instead of social policy In Chapter 6, the Commission makes a proposal that aims at stimulating newly arrived refugees to start their own businesses at an early stage during the introduction period. Many of today's refugees come from countries where running one's own business is part of a cultural tradition. The Commission considers therefore that municipalities should make use of this form of earning one's livelihood at an early stage when they work with introduction programmes to facilitate a rapid in working life. This cannot be achieved, however, without fundamental changes in the present reception system, which is still characterised to far too great an extent by social care. The Commission therefore considers that work with regional growth agreements and integration policy for new arrivals ought to be co-ordinated so as to avoid conflict between different bodies of regulations and agencies, and that the role of the new arrivals as a resource can be made clear at local and regional level. In the light of this, the Commission proposes that the compensation system for refugee reception be reviewed so that the work of the municipalities with introduction of the new arrivals is clearly linked to the regional growth agreements within the framework of each region's own conditions for growth. As a consequence of this, the Commission proposes that the administrative responsibility for compensation for municipalities (appropriation B4 equivalent to billion according to the 1998/99 Budget ) be transferred from the National Integration Office to the county administrative boards so that the funds can be strategically allocated to the municipalities' introduction programmes for new arrivals within the framework of co-ordination of the regional growth agreements. To enable the work of the municipalities to stimulate new arrivals to earn their own living and run their own businesses to be adapted to the differing conditions for the growth of the business sector and the labour market in each county, the Commission proposes, among other things, that the county administrative boards be given a co-ordinating and supervisory responsibility at the regional level. The Commission further proposes that the Ombudsman against Ethnic Discrimination be given a regional platform for work with ethnic discrimination, so that promotion of diversity in working life is integrated in the regional strategies in the same way as equality work. Difficulties for persons with foreign background to start and run businesses Chapter 7 takes up immigrants' problems in starting and running businesses. Matters relating to financing and other financial services are dealt with in Chapter 8. In a number of respects, persons with a foreign background have a less favourable starting position than the majority population when they set up and run businesses. Training initiatives should provide them with the opportunity to overcome this disadvantage of lack of knowledge. Once the business is started, companies run by persons with a foreign background, shall have the same rights and obligations as other businesses. The Commission proposes training, including advice on how to take care of contacts with different agencies and the legislation that it is important to be familiar with, as well as assistance with bank contacts. An important part of the training and advice is also knowledge of the "invisible bodies of rules" and social codes. According to the Commission, interest in running a company among those with good for doing so should be made use of as soon as a permit has been granted. If there is not a sufficient base for training etc., with sufficiently large or homogenous groups in one municipality, a number of municipalities can work together. The Commission also proposes that up to 10 hours of consultancy assistance at half of the normal price shall be made available to entrepreneurs within a year of establishing the business. If the number of people who receive grants to start their own businesses amounts to an estimated 25 000 and half of these use the subsidised consultancy grant, the cost to the state will be around million. The Commission considers that payment of the cost for the residual consultancy fee can be administered by the employment office that provided the grant to start a business. As immigrants who start businesses often have not the opportunity to belong to an unemployment fund, they often receive the lowest compensation from the start your own business grant, per day. Until 1995, the lowest grant was kronor per day and until l per day. The Commission recommends that the lowest start your own business grant be increased again to kronor per day. According to the assessments of , the state's cost will increase by 120 million per year for this measure. It is recommended that the increased start your own business grant, as well as the proposal on subsidised consultancy assistance, apply to all those who have received a grant to start their own business. As the Commission has already stated in Chapter 6, a treatment on a regional basis of these growth issues and thus also the question of facilitating the acquisition of capital for immigrant companies is very important. Organisations such as the Entrepreneurs (IFS) indicate interesting development opportunities here. The Commission recommends that the county administrative boards be given an overall responsibility to make use of the interest in starting and running businesses among people with a foreign background. The Commission proposes that a total of million be placed at the disposal of the county administrative boards for allocation to new and existing organisations. Financing and other financial issues For businesses, the issues of financing of activity and access to financial services are of key importance. The Commission notes with satisfaction that the banks have already taken some steps to improve contacts with persons with a foreign background. The Commission considers, however that the banks can make further changes in their methods of work to meet the needs of the large target group consisting of people with a foreign background. According to the Commission, these changes are both possible and desirable and in most cases this will take place for purely commercial reasons. In some cases, measures should be considered. Information is available that the banks are restrictive when providing small loans to businesses. Small loans to newly started businesses are said to be not especially profitable. has recommended that licences shall no longer be required of credit market companies that carry out activities on a small scale. According to the Commission, this increases the possibilities of new lenders entering the market for loans to small businesses. The Commission supports this proposal by . To avoid loans to good business ideas for activities on a small scale not being available, the Commission proposes – pending the increase in supply of small loans to businesses - that 's lending capacity be increased if required. There is no legal obligation on banks to carry out payment services or provide transaction facilities for deposit accounts. The Commission recommends that the Government instruct the Financial Supervisory Authority to investigate the practice of the credit institutions when opening deposit accounts and the services for making payments pertaining to these. The authority should proposed legislative changes if required. Some banks are planning to pay special attention to issues concerning the provision of credit to immigrants in their internal training. In the view of the Commission, all banks should do this. The bank employees trade union organisation, the Union of Financial Sector Employees, has made a statement on the value of increased training. Credits can be made available with the aid of so-called credit scoring, a method for credit assessment based on statistical analyses. This technique is relatively common in assessment of consumer credits. The extent to which the technique is used in credit assessments of businesses is not known to the Commission. Bearing in mind that the scoring technique contains a potential risk for discrimination, a special analysis should be made of this field without delay. The Commission regards this as an important task that should be given priority in the terms of reference of a future . A good way of improving services to persons with a foreign background is also, in the view of the Commission, for the banks to increase the number of employees with this background. The Commission also recommends that banks draw up so-called diversity plans. During 1998, the Financial Supervisory Authority issued, after a recommendation from the Commission, new general advice on guidelines for handling ethical issues containing advice on equal treatment regardless of, for instance, ethnic background. The ethical advice of the individual banks and institutions is not at present available to the general public. The Commission proposes that the ethical advice shall be made public in future and be available for the general public. As previously mentioned, the executive ' Association - in which the chief executive officers of the four largest banks in the country are members - made a statement in consultation with the Commission in favour of increased contacts with persons with a foreign background. The Union of Financial Sector Employees, the largest trade union for bank employees, has made a similar statement. In the event of lack of agreement between a bank and its corporate , the customer has at present no other alternatives - unless mandatory arbitration has been agreed upon - than to conduct a process at a public court of law. The imbalance in financial resources between the bank and especially small and medium-sized enterprises, often means in practice that no assessment by a neutral body takes place. with a foreign background are often in a particularly difficult position here. The Commission has considered four different alternatives for simplified settlement of disputes. The Commission recommends that a bank ethical council be established. In the event of a dispute between a bank and its business client, this council shall be able to make a recommendation for a settlement. This takes place provided that the person at the institution responsible for complaints has first considered the issue and the person complaining wishes that such consideration take place. The Commission considers that this procedure contributes to clarifying the concept good banking ethics or good banking standard and thus contributes to increased goodwill for the banking sector as a whole. It is proposed that be able to grant new business loans for up to 30 per cent of the capital requirement with an interest-free period of up to ten years. It is further recommended that be able to grant new entrepreneur loans at up to 50 per cent of the capital requirement at a subsidised interest rate for two years. The Commission further proposes that tax-free allocation to reserves of up to 000 shall be permitted for a five-year period, without any restriction to a proportion of profit (accrual reserve). Even if the number of newly started companies remains small, there are also businesses started by persons with an immigrant background that have invested in expansion. The researcher has especially investigated growth companies. In his studies, the proportion of growth companies led by immigrants has been around 8 per cent for growth as well as non-growth companies. A person with a foreign background has the greatest difficulties in relation to the other sections of the population, when he or she is establishing a business. However, if the founder of the business has not been able to establish a good from the beginning, special difficulties also have to be overcome when the business intends to expand. There are a number of businesses that are successively operated by persons with a foreign background. A considerable part of the successful companies have an international basis for their activity, either so that they import products or that the activity established in is internationalised by group companies being created in other countries. Some businesses have an international network of contacts based on the owner's previous home country. Despite differences in business concepts, sector of industry, and direction of activities, it is true to say that there are certain characteristic features that typify the successful businesses. In every case, success has a basically good business idea and a commercial approach. In addition, the coincidence between business concept and the market has played a decisive role for growth. Without exception, the motive power for success is the personal qualities of the person running the business, such as flexibility the willingness to take risks and a willingness to expand, linked to an ability to manage their own business concept. Most of them have been successful notwithstanding social and economic disadvantages. It would seem, however, as if success has grown out of a strong motivation and a survival strategy on the part of the entrepreneurs themselves. Practically all have been able to meet problems arising and setbacks by flexibility and well-planned possibilities to retreat. Financial issues are also important for expansion, although if the business has established contacts with a bank and the operation shows positive growth, the difficulties in financing growth should mainly be the same for all enterprises. Financing of the Commission's proposal Chapter 10 contains proposals on financing of the Commission's proposals. The Commission's recommendations fall into two categories. One group of proposals is of an ethical and general nature. These proposals are related to integration policy and to issues concerning discrimination and special treatment. These proposals cannot be evaluated in the form of revenue and expenditure for the state. The other category of proposals relates to business conditions and can be further sub-divided into proposals that only concern people with a foreign background and proposals that are suggested to apply to all companies. The proposals made by the Commission and which require financing with central government funds should be regarded as investments for the future and not as current expenditure. The measures proposed shall contribute to an unused human capital and other capital beginning to work for the country's growth. In the long run, these inputs will be beneficial to the state and 's inhabitants. The Commission considers that measures for immigrants have until now been regarded too great an extent as part of social policy. In the view of the Commission, society's inputs should be swiftly focused on creating gainful occupation – by employment or by the setting up of businesses. This change of approach gives rise to costs in carrying out the proposals of the Commission, which to a considerable extent do not require entirely new funds but a changed direction and use of existing funds. The Commission proposes that the county administrative boards be allocated a total of million to be used and distributed to already existing or newly created bodies to stimulate an increased entrepreneurship. These funds should be taken from the appropriation Local government compensation for refugee reception. A new regional platform för the work of the Ombudsman against Ethnic Discrimination's work is proposed by a total of 25 people being linked to the county administrative boards. The total cost - when fully developed - is estimated to total million. It is recommended that these funds be made available from the above-mentioned appropriation for refugee reception. In order to improve the underlying material for decisions on measures for immigrant entrepreneurship, etc, the Commission proposes that million be made available for this purpose per annum and that this relatively modest investment be financed by changed priorities within the framework of the current research grants. The Commission has proposed that the lowest grant to start a business be increased from to per day. The cost of this amounts to 120 million. The Commission also proposes that those receiving start your own business grants shall have access to ten consultancy hours for half of the normal fee. This is expected to cost the state around million. It is proposed that funds for these two improvements in the conditions to set up new businesses be made available from the appropriation for Labour Market Programme activity. The Commission proposes that it be made possible for newly established businesses to allocate at most to reserves for a five-year period - without restriction as to the proportion of the profit. The Commission assumes that the state will earn considerably more in tax revenue as a result of these measures than they cost in the form of lost interest income of around million due to deferred tax. The Commission makes the assessment that the proposals on enabling to increase its lending from 30 to 50 per cent of the total credit requirement for new enterprise loans and that be given increased frame for lending if required, do not entail any increased expenditure for the state. To conclude, the Commission states that all of the above proposals can be financed by changes in priorities of existing appropriations or by central government revenue increasing in relation to central government expenditure as a result of the Commission's recommendations. Certain consequences of the proposals made by the Commission Chapter 10 also takes up certain consequences of the Commission's proposals. The Commission has suggested that integration policy be incorporated in measures taken by central government for growth. It is proposed that this take place by the county administrative board co- ordinating inputs for increased entrepreneurship among immigrants with other regional policy measures. The proposal of the Commission aims at making different kinds of inputs possible – in the way that is best in the respective region. Implementation of the Commission's proposals will facilitate an increased creation of new businesses for all persons with foreign background. As women to date have had problems in earning a livelihood by employment, the proposals of the Commission will contribute to increased quality between men and women. The Commission takes the view that its proposals have a crime preventive effect for future and newly started companies. Jag delar inte utredningens uppfattning om hur invandrarnas situation i förhållande till bankerna ser ut . Bankerna har uppmärksammat behovet av förändringar för att möta denna kundkategoris önskemål och man är medveten om att det kan finnas anledning att vidta ytterligare åtgärder. Jag noterar dock med stor tillfredsställelse att utredningen i sina kontakter med koncerncheferna i bankerna uppmärksammat bankernas strävan efter ökade och bättre kontakter med invandrare och att utredningen i avsnitt 8.2.9 gör bedömningen att denna inställning kommer att få stor genomslagskraft, inte minst av rent kommersiella affärsskäl. I detta särskilda yttrande behandlar jag emellertid endast utredning- ens förslag att inrätta ett banketiskt råd. Utredningen har såsom man redovisar övervägt fyra alternativ be- träffande tvistelösning mellan personer av utländsk härkomst och bankerna. Det första ligger i linje med vad jag föreslagit utredningen, nämligen att bankerna genom sina centralt placerade klagomålsansvariga eller särskilda kontaktombud åtar sig att i enskilda fall pröva om det har förekommit etnisk diskriminering vid kreditbeslut eller annars i relationen med företagare av utländsk härkomst. Om den klagande inte skulle bli nöjd med ett beslut från den klagomålsansvarige eller det sär- skilda kontaktombudet skall han eller hon uppmanas att kontakta DO, som skyndsamt får pröva om bankens beslut grundas på etniska skäl. Ärendet skulle i sådana fall återförvisas till banken för ett nytt beslut som bortser från sådana omständigheter. Utredningen tillbakavisar för- slaget i avsnitt 8.2.10 på grund av att det inte löser tvister om redan ingångna avtal eller skäligheten av olika åtgärder mot bakgrund av vad som omfattas av god banksed. Mot detta vill jag erinra om utredningens uppdrag som har varit att behandla frågor som rör personer med ut- ländsk bakgrund och möjligheterna för dessa personer att skaffa kapital, dvs. förhållandet innan ett avtal föreligger. Frågor om tolkning av avtal och skäligheten av villkor ryms inte inom uppdraget. Dessutom är det inget som hindrar att även dessa frågor prövas i min modell förutsatt att det rör sig om diskriminerande åtgärder. Trots att utredningens huvuduppgift i detta avseende har varit att granska invandrares möjligheter att skaffa kapital förordas inrättandet av ett Banketikråd, som uppenbarligen är avsedd för alla företagare och som avser förhållanden där ett avtal redan har ingåtts. De speciella problem som kan finnas för företagare med utländsk härkomst bortses därför från i utredningens förslag som därmed faller utanför uppdraget. Förslaget går därför enligt min uppfattning vida över målsättningen med utredningen. Särskilda hinder för personer med utländsk bakgrund att starta och ut- Beslut vid regeringssammanträde . En särskild utredare skall klarlägga vilka särskilda svårigheter personer med utländsk bakgrund kan möta i samband med att de startar och utvecklar egna företag. Utredarens kartläggning skall särskilt omfatta frågor som hänger samman med kapitalanskaffning. Utredaren skall studera om personer med utländsk bakgrund särbehandlas på ett otill- börligt sätt i samband med låneansökan hos banker och finansinstitut samt om marknadens funktionssätt motverkar bildandet av långsiktigt kommersiella företag bland personer med utländsk bakgrund. Utredaren skall på basis av sin kartläggning föreslå sådana åtgärder som medför lika behandling av personer som vill starta och utveckla egna företag. Regeringen har i budgetpropositionen bedömt att det är en högt prioriterad uppgift att underlätta skapandet av nya arbetstillfällen. Regeringen avser att fortsätta de hittillsvarande insatserna för att utveckla småföretag i syfte att dessa skall kunna bidra till en högre ekonomisk tillväxt och sysselsättning. 206 Bilaga 1 SOU 1999:49 har eget företagande spelat en allt väsentligare roll för sysselsättning av personer med utländsk bakgrund. Intresset för att etablera näringsverksamhet beror dels på att många personer kommer från länder där eget företagande är en vanlig försörj- ningsform, dels på arbetslöshet och risk för arbetslöshet. fanns drygt 300 000 företag med 0- 19 anställda. Av dessa ägdes ca 37 000 av personer med utländsk bakgrund. startades ca 28 000 helt nya företag med en årsomsättning . Per- soner med utländsk bakgrund svarade för en femtedel av dessa före- tagsetableringar.