SCCI gathers its members to comment on Budget 2020 |08 November 2019

The SCCI members during the meeting yesterday (Photo: Thomas Meriton)

The Seychelles Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) gathered its members yesterday at the Nayopi Business Centre to comment on the 2020 budget presented last week by the Minister for Finance in the National Assembly.

The meeting was attended by some 80 members representing the different associations in agriculture, manufacturing, omnibus, construction, retailers, IT services, fisheries and motor vehicle.

The meeting, chaired by Olivier Bastienne, went on for more than three hours and the main topics of discussion were on business tax review, employment matters, tender procedures, energy, transport, artisan/artist & musicians, agriculture/fisheries and partnership between the government and the private sector.

“The private sector is considered to be the engine of growth of Seychelles, but we are not getting this consideration. Today we have gathered you all for your views, opinions and feelings about the Budget 2020 so that we can consolidate your views then push it to the government and to the media. Many of you said there are some positive elements in the budget but we do not see how we are benefitting from it. Some say that the government did not have any consultation with the private sector. Let me stress this out that the private sector is here to work with the government and we are not their enemies,” said Mr Bastienne.

Seychelles NATION will come back on the comments and proposals from that meeting in a future issue.

Vidya Gappy