I agree with Ms Victoria Ngaim ("Cut cheque clearance charge to help SMEs"; Sept 11).

Years ago, banks in Singapore did not charge for cheque clearing, as a form of support to their customers.

But later, they started charging for cheque clearing after the first 30 cheques.

This upset many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

SMEs are a key part of the Singapore economy, and they find it hard to compete with multinational corporations here.

SMEs do not usually have credit facilities with local companies, and using cheques in daily transactions is the norm.

The charges for cheque clearing are insignificant to a bank's profits. I hope banks here will stop this practice, to support SMEs and help lighten the burden of local business operations.

Vivien Ang (Madam)