SME forum calls for tax review
In his New Year statement, Forum of Private Business chief executive Phil Orford has warned that the Government must fulfil its pledges to cut red tape in the workplace if it wants smaller businesses to replace the jobs set to be lost in the public sector, adding that a long-overdue simplification of the tax system would also encourage more companies to expand.
The statement reads: “In 2010 Britain crept out of recession, but many small businesses will find the year ahead even more challenging as they try to grow, creating the jobs lost in the public sector and driving economic recovery. Removing the barriers to growth created by tax and red tape must be a cornerstone of emerging enterprise policies. We are pushing for the UK’s complex tax system to be simplified and complying with regulation to be made more proportionate for small firms.
“Employment law, in particular, must cease to be a barrier to job creation and should be rebalanced more in favour of employers – and the majority of the workforce – not just individual employees.
“Simplifying employment law would go a long way towards empowering entrepreneurs to create jobs to grow their businesses, but there is a need to address workforce training and skills.
“With youth unemployment at record levels and small businesses struggling to find staff with the right skill sets, we will be campaigning for training provision that is business-friendly, and calling on education providers to focus on the requirements of small businesses as well as students.”
Orford also used the statement to announce that the Forum will soon be launching a campaign aimed at improving the fortunes of both its members and the wider SME community. ‘Get Britain Trading’ will highlight the huge contribution smaller businesses make to the British economy. It will also call on SMEs across the UK to get involved in order to get their voices heard and help the Forum lobby top-level decision-makers on their behalf.
Orford said: “We want the massive contribution small firms make to the economy to be recognised and will urge the Government to place their interests and concerns at the heart of its enterprise policies for 2011.”