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UK small biz pleads with gov for more support

SME SOS

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British small businesses want the government to cut regulation, reduce business taxes, and offer more support and advice.

Some 60 per cent of new businesses are now started at home. Home-based businesses employ 28 per cent of the the total workforce and have combined turnover of £364bn, according to research from BT.

In total, small businesses make up 47 per cent of total UK employment (10.55 million jobs) and turn over £972.2bn a year.

Start-up businesses typically turn to the internet for advice followed by private organisations like lawyers and accountants, except in the south-west where they are more likely to talk to family and friends.

Enterprise Nation, the home business website which wrote the report, is calling for a 10 point plan to improve life for SMEs.

These include: better research into home business and the impact of government policy on them, more support and possibly financial incentives for such businesses, and tax changes and better local infrastructure for home-based businesses.

The report also notes the environmental benefits of working from home.

The report was released to mark the start of Small Business Week. Researchers spoke to 1,650 small businesses across the UK.

BT's research is available to download, following a brief registration process, here or Enterprise Nation is here. ®

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Latest Comments

No help thanks

I could think of nobody worse qualified to give "advice" to small businesses than the monolithic, uncompetitive, incompetent gravy-train that is the UK government and/or the DTI (or BEER or whatever it is they have renamed it to this week).

The best thing the government can do to help small businesses is cut regulation, red tape, stupid tax and PAYE rules and just butt out.

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re: really?

> Home-based businesses employ 28 per cent of the the total workforce???

Yep, thats a lot of 'professional' ebayers!

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Yeah and the big boys get free civil service lobbyists

Vodafone et al get reducing taxes and government employees lobbying for them at the EU.

Small businesses get an increasing tax rate, less help, and an increasing regulatory burden.

But then what would you expect from a government that is institutionally corrupt and full of inveterate liars.

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