Government denies claims it has stung business with £10bn extra red tape
The Government has hit back at claims that it has increased the burden of red tape on business by £10bn and strangled the competitiveness of small firms in Britain.
The Government has hit back at claims that it has increased the burden of red tape on business by £10bn and strangled the competitiveness of small firms in Britain.
Patricia Hewitt went on the offensive describing the figures, released by the British Chambers of Commerce in its Cut Red Tape campaign, as nonsense.
Hewitt, appearing on the BBC’s Working Lunch yesterday, was particularly incensed by claims made by the BCC on the running costs of the Working Time Directive and the National Minimum Wage.
She said: ‘Recent studies by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development showed that the UK has fewer administration and economic regulations on businesses than any other OECD country, including the USA.’
The BCC launched its campaign through a website where Chris Humphries, the organisation’s director general, attacked the Government and listed areas for urgent action.
‘Despite all its rhetoric, the reality is that government has dramatically increased the regulatory burdens that threaten small business competitiveness. Excessive red tape is stifling the very enterprises the government s seeking to promote,’ he said.
A learning space of four months between approval and introduction of new regulations is among the measures sought by the BCC. It also wants a probationary period for new regulations, a standard threshold for exemption from regulation, steps to ensure parliamentary review of new rules and the creation of a business-led tax simplification force.
The numbers you crunch tell a story. Your expertis...
24yEmbracing user-friendly AP systems can turn the tide, streamlining workflows, enhancing compliance, and opening doors to early payment discounts. Read...
View articleOrganisations can enhance their financial operations' efficiency, accuracy, and responsiveness by adopting platforms that offer them self-service cust...
View articleIn a world of instant results and automated workloads, the potential for AP to drive insights and transform results is enormous. But, if you’re still ...
View resourceDiscover how AP dashboards can transform your business by enhancing efficiency and accuracy in tracking key metrics, as revealed by the latest insight...
View articleGlobal spend on accountancy outsourcing up by 40% in the space of five years. News comes as accountancy outsourcing specialist AdvanceTrack reports en...
View articleFollowing a profitability review, Deloitte has decided to scale back its UK deals business due to lower returns. This strategic shift could lead to jo...
View articleUK-based Dow Schofield Watts (DSW), a mid-market professional services network, announced the creation of a new division called DSW Principal Partners...
View articleEY has been undergoing significant cost-cutting measures and streamlining its operations since the abandonment of Project Everest. The firm has made t...
View articleTransitioning from an accounting firm to a consultancy model is only one part of the puzzle. The next, equally vital piece is making the market aware ...
View articleThis framework, while providing a top-line view, underscores the importance of strategic vision, operational excellence, and the spirit of continuous ...
View articleLooking ahead, the Big 4 firms face a challenging year, with ongoing cost-of-living concerns, slow economic growth, rising geopolitical tensions, and ...
View articleLast month it was reported that Deloitte would be cutting approximately 1,200 jobs in the United States, making it the latest of the Big Four accounti...
View article