ALMATY. March 17. KAZINFORM /Yelena Ilyinskaya/ - Today in Almaty the Association of trade and services market enterprises and the Trade Union of commercial and services enterprises of Kazakhstan and Atameken Union held a press-conference to appeal President Nursultan Nazarbayev and Prime-Minister Karim Massimov to help ensure minimal influence of the crisis on the entrepreneur community operating in the trade and services market of Kazakhstan. Advisor for economic issues of the Atameken Alma Nurgozhayeva says that the Government has undertaken several measures to mitigate the crisis impact on small and medium businesses. Trade and service enterprises form the major part in the small business market. These are around 2 million self-employed individuals. лThe huge load falls on small commercial and services entities which provide the population with food, household supplies and provide cheapest goods and services. This very group is mostly exposed to the crisis consequences, and if it becomes impaired, the entire consumer market of trade and services will be affected, too╗, Alma Nurgozhayeva said. To resolve the problem Atameken and the Association of trade and services market enterprises suggested to exempt self-employed individuals from tax burdens safe for social and pension deductions and suggested to create a program of social protection of private businesses. The second proposal was to reconsider the category of borrowers who fall under the anti-recessionary plan programs (refinancing and lending to small and medium businesses at 12,5% per annum), decrease the rates of the earlier taken loans or provide grace period. Also it was proposed to create separate Commerce Ministry which would deal only the domestic and foreign trade matters. The participants of the press conference informed of their intentions to hold a congress of commerce and services entrepreneurs of Kazakhstan in May 2009 in order to unite in the fight against crisis consequences.