Small business owners ask that the problem of extortion be addressed

MEXICO CITY (EFE).— The National Alliance of Small Merchants (Anpec) yesterday asked the president-elect of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, to tackle the problem of extortion and improve security in the sector.

In a statement, the organisation highlights five areas for improvement in the field of small businesses, starting with “curbing the violence that disturbs them”.

“Among other things, assaults with sharp or firearm weapons and extortion for protection money constitute a scenario of insecurity that hinders their work,” the document states.

The Anpec announcement comes after Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador acknowledged last week that one of his government’s pending tasks has been to end extortion of small business owners and merchants.

“The only crime we have not been able to reduce is extortion,” the president said during a recent morning press conference.

As Anpec explains, “to speak of this crime is to refer to illegal charges, charges for commercial success and profits obtained from hard work,” while mentioning events that occurred in Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, where businesses were burned down last week.

“This crime affects the entire economic fabric and the most serious thing is that we are at a turning point where society is one step away from surrendering to this crime and accepting it as something normal,” said the president of the organization, Cuauhtémoc Rivera.

Other demands

The organization also raises other demands to the future government of the nation, which will officially assume office on October 1, such as the granting of a “preferential rate” for electricity service, credit support, simplification of procedures, reduction of commercial prohibitions and the development of training for labor certification.

In its statement, Anpec highlights the role played by small businesses in the Mexican economy, which represents 3% of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and the creation of more than two million jobs, according to the organization itself.