The Forum of Private Business has released a manifesto outlining what the next government should do to support small businesses. With BACS reporting that chasing late payment costs businesses £9.2bn a year, prompt payment remains top of the agenda. The Manifesto sets out measures for the start, mid-term and end of a term in Parliament, […]
Continue ReadingThat’s what the Economist reported the impact would be in the USA. This works out at about – $1.5 trillion. In Australia, Dr Ken Henry published a tax review back in 2010 proposing that stamp duty should be replaced with a broad-based land tax. This would help Australians deal with the rising cost of home […]
Continue ReadingThe budget was followed last week by the Royal Assent for the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment (SBEE) Act. However, whether big companies take any real notice of paying SMEs on 30 day terms remains to be seen. The Act is silent on real detail. John Allan, national chairman of the Federation of Small Businesses […]
Continue Reading2014 saw the UK grow faster than any of the G7 countries, but at the cost of having one of the lowest productivities. To quote the Economist “The French could take Friday off and still produce more than Britons do in a week…A British employee produces a fifth less than a French one, but he […]
Continue ReadingThe government funded Growth Vouchers programme helps businesses get strategic business advice on: – Finance and cash flow – Recruiting and developing staff – Improving leadership and management skills – Marketing, attracting and keeping customers – Making the most of digital technology Some businesses will be randomly chosen to get a voucher of up to […]
Continue ReadingA “massively underhand cash grab” was how one supplier was reported in The Times as describing the approach by the DIY giant B&Q demanding contributions to an “investment-for-growth” programme. B&Q is facing claims that it threatened its suppliers by demanding they pay hundreds of thousands of pounds to stay on its books. This follows The […]
Continue ReadingAccording to a poll of 500 businesses, conducted by the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT), UK businesses are hit by £10bn a year in extra tax costs, with the majority falling on SMEs. The AAT found that SMEs spend approximately £9.9bn each year on tax compliance compared to just £100m that larger firms are paying. […]
Continue ReadingBrendan Flattery, CEO Sage UK and Ireland calls for all FTSE companies to publicly commit to move towards 30 day payment terms for SME suppliers. In his blog, he points out that the health and vitality of the UK’s SME sector, with a combined turnover of £1.6 trillion is crucial to the economic future of […]
Continue ReadingThis article by Andrew Sheehy, Chief Analyst at industry research firm Generator Research, paints a picture where the result of connecting AIs might be a network that looks like the internet, except where routers are replaced with artificial intelligences of different species. That could be good, or bad. According to Sheehy, when viewed at a […]
Continue ReadingThree quarters of the British public agree that the next Government should take action on big business ethics. This includes the government committing to penalising corporates that act unfairly towards small businesses in areas such as supply chain contracts and late payment. The majority of the British public believes that policy to promote ethical practices […]
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