SME Business News

As many as one in three firms are worried that the planned increase in VAT could have an adverse effect on their business, a new survey has claimed.
A study of the reaction of 500 businesses to measures introduced in the emergency Budget, carried out by YouGov research, found that 30 per cent of respondents believe [...]

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The manufacturing sector saw output rise at the fastest rate in 15 years in the three months to July, as demand for UK-made goods continued to strengthen and firms rebuilt their stocks, the CBI said today. But the UK’s leading business group said that the pace of manufacturing growth is expected to be slower in [...]

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It is not just SMEs that have been suffering through government cutbacks. It has recently been widely reported in the press that the top 20 suppliers to the government are to be summoned to a meeting this week to negotiate cuts of billions of pounds to their contracts.  Which will come as no surprise to [...]

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On the eve before the World Cup kicks off, new figures show that over half of small firms will be letting their staff watch key matches. However, 32 per cent are unaware they need a TV Licence to watch the games online, says the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB).
In an FSB-ICM survey of more than [...]

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In a letter to the Chancellor of the Exchequer ahead of the emergency Budget, the CBI has urged the Government to increase confidence in the public finances by bringing the deficit rapidly under control in a way that does not undermine the economy’s ability to grow.
The UK’s leading business group argues this should be done [...]

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Businesses looking to hold on to their staff have been urged to get involved in more development work in order to stop them leaving.
According to a report by GfK NOP, a survey of 4,000 workers has found that 13 per cent plan to leave as soon as possible, while 11 per cent are hoping to [...]

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The latest quarterly figures released today by the Asset Based Finance Association (ABFA) show total sales from firms financed by asset based finance have increased, with client sales at £49,371 million, a rise of eight per cent from March 2009.
Whilst there has been an eight percent increase in turnover compared to the Q1 2009 figures [...]

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The coalition Government’s proposals to slash the red tape stifling business growth is welcome news for the UK’s 4.8 million small firms, says the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB).
Research by the FSB shows that nearly a third (27%) of small firms that wanted to expand said the proposed increases in regulation is a difficulty in [...]

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Thousands of small businesses could benefit from the measures outlined in the Coalition Government’s document, Programme for Government, according to the Federation of Private Business (FPB).
The FPBs’ reactions to the agreements are positive, however, they have stated that they will be cautious of any veiled proposals. Head of Policy, Matthew Goodman commented: “I’m sure this [...]

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Contractors working as sole traders or limited companies in a number of UK industries could be among those finding it more difficult to enter Time to Pay agreements with HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC).
New figures have revealed that HMRC rejected 11.2 per cent of all VAT Time to Pay requests in the first quarter of [...]

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