30% of VAT Revenues for SMEs

As per the sixth five-year development plan (2017-22), 30% of government revenues earned from value added tax will be used to shore up small- and medium-sized enterprises, according to the head of Iran’s Small Industries and Industrial Parks Organization, Ali Yazdani. Iran’s development plans outline government strategies in its budget planning for the next five years. The approval of the sixth plan has been delayed by a year. Yazdani noted that SMEs account for 53% of the jobs created and 10% of exports in the industrial sector, IRNA reported. According to Gholamreza Soleymani, the deputy head of the organization, exports by Iranian SMEs during the nine months to December 20 amounted to $1.6 billion.