Craft Business

With the 2008 Budget looming large, two of Britain's most strident campaign organisations have called on Chancellor Alistair Darling to go easy on small businesses who suffered in the wake of Gordon Brown's last statement. The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) and the British Retail Council (BRC) are both hoping that the Chancellor will consider companies in his speech on 12th March.

The FSB reveals that its annual Budget submission comes at a time when small business' confidence in the Government is waning. In the report sent to the Treasury on behalf of its members, the FSB calls for action on issues including the proposed fuel rise charge and the taxation of independent businesses, particularly family firms. “The past twelve months have seen small businesses receive a series of harsh body-blows from which they are still trying to recover,” says John Wright, national chairman of the FSB. “It cannot be stressed strongly enough just how important these organisations are to the UK economy. The year has already begun with the threat of a recession which is difficult enough for such companies to deal with, without having to contend with more obstacles put in the way by the Government.”

The BRC is also calling on the Chancellor to use the Budget to ease the pressure on retailers, by rewarding their environmental achievements and relieving the financial strain placed on businesses by local authorities. "Retail plays a vital part in the lifeblood of the British economy, job creation, skills training and regeneration,” says Stephen Robertson, the BRC's director general. "With a slowdown underway, household budgets have tightened and people are more cautious about spending. As margins tighten, retailers have also been hit by higher costs. On Budget day, the Chancellor has the power to encourage further retail achievements and reduce new cost threats.”