Partner Article

FSB calls for small business plan for growth

FOLLOWING the Chancellor’s statement on Wednesday’s Spending Review, the FSB in the North East is urging the Coalition Government to put in place a small business programme for growth.

FSB research has shown that three quarters of small businesses thought the Coalition Government should cut spending to tackle the public deficit and six in 10 said they were more willing to accept cuts in public spending because of the size of the public sector deficit.

Simon Hanson, FSB North East policy manager, said: “Small businesses will play a key role in re-balancing the economy and helping reduce the deficit. To help achieve this small business needs to be given the confidence to invest and help increase job creation.

“It is vital the Government puts a Small Business Programme for Growth into action immediately.”

The FSB added that small firms are at tipping point and lack the confidence to take on the 500,000 people that will be made redundant as a result of these cuts.

They now say it is up to the Government to incentivise the small business community – through extending the National Insurance Contribution holiday to existing firms and cutting VAT to five per cent in the construction sector – to promote growth and help small firms take on new staff.

The FSB welcomed measures to increase the number of adult apprenticeships by 50 per cent to 75,000 new apprentices a year.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .