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The Government has pledged to increase the support it is currently giving to small businesses. At a special event at 10 Downing Street, held to celebrate the positive impact that small and medium sized businesses (SMBs) have on the UK economy, Prime Minister...
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Well-off households were hit harder at the start of the recession, whereas poorer households were protected by benefits systems, according to the Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS). However, it suggested that poorer households will suffer more when...
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Women applying for business loans or mortgages will be given more support, following an action plan from the Government and banking industry, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport has announced. In the past, some women have refrained from applying for...
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Foreign investment in Scotland has seen the highest level of activity for 15 years, a survey by Ernst and Young has discovered. The rise of 49% on the number of projects involving foreign direct investment (FDI) moved the total up to 76. Despite this rise,...
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The London Olympics helped to drive inward investment in the UK, with an initial £2.5 billion boost in foreign direct investment (FDI) achieved, according to figures from the Global Investment Conference. The data also showed that 31,000 more jobs were...
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The target of £8 billion in savings for taxpayers has been exceeded by 25%, according to HM Treasury. It said that £10 billion has been saved in areas such as procurement, transformation, projects and workforce, and represented...
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Evidence must be provided to prove that the Government is getting behind measures to encourage business growth, a report from the Engineering Employers Federation ( EEF ) has said, with the upcoming Spending Review earmarked as the perfect opportunity...
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The National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) has said that applications for apprenticeships have increased rapidly in recent months and the Financial Skills Partnership (FSP) has emphasised that more needs to be done to make these positions available. For every...
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Loyal customers would be willing to pay more for a product from a small independent retailer, rather than purchase the same product from a large corporate retailer at a lower cost, a report from Barclays has found. Some 60% of consumers would be willing to...
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Business output performance saw a positive score of +14% for England during March 2013, a report from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills ( BIS ) has reported. The latest figures show a notable improvement on the English Business Survey ( EBS...
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EU proposals for a financial transaction tax (FTT) have been described as "perverse and unacceptable" by former Chancellor of the Exchequer Lord Lawson. The FTT is intended to tax transaction of shares, currencies and bonds in order to curb...
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26,000 workers received repayments from HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) following a breach of National Minimum Wage rules. Up to £4 million has been repayed to employees, following the investigation of 1,693 complaints that companies had been paying...
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Growth forecasts for the next three years have been upgraded by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), rising from 0.6% to 0.9% in 2013, from 1.7% to 1.9% in 2014 and from 2.2% to 2.4% in 2015. While the figures may be encouraging, the BCC has warned that...
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Bedrooms in selected properties in Leeds will be reclassified in order for residents to avoid the recently introduced bedroom tax. This would see some bedrooms being defined as non-specific 'rooms', which would mean that the property would no longer...
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A further nine countries have signed up to share tax information in order to crack down on international tax evasion. Singapore, Austria and Luxembourg are just three of the nations to agree to the automatic sharing of tax information with other countries,...
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Government legislation has been launched to stop gas and electricity distribution companies claiming tax relief for costs that have already been paid for by business customers. The policy will be introduced with immediate effect and could save the Exchequer...
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An improvement in business activity has been recorded in the services sector in the three months to May, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has said. The organisation's quarterly Service Sector Survey suggested that while growth was lower than...
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Bank lending has declined in the first quarter of 2013 according to new data from the Forum of Private Business. The organisation also suggested that a number of businesses in the UK are still lacking confidence in the economy. Further findings revealed that...
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1.7 million small businesses have been victim to theft, vandalism or damage in the last year, according to a report from Lloyds TSB. The 'Insurance Big Issues for Small Businesses' report also said that 36% of businesses haven't taken appropriate...
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Small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) are continuing to lose confidence in major financial institutions, the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) has reported. The independent SME Finance Monitor for Q1 2013 found that 39% of SMEs said they accessed...
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Consumer confidence is at a record equalling high of 109 points, a report from the Lloyds TSB Spending Power Report has found. Figures are based on the Consumer Sentiment Index, which has now reached this points level for the second time since it was...
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The European Commission's proposal for a 'Robin Hood tax' across the 11 eurozone countries has been met with disapproval in France. The country's central bank governor Christian Noyer said on Tuesday (28 May) that the plans would be...
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Stamp duty on house purchases should be replaced with a financial incentive system which would reward energy efficient homes, members of the Scottish Parliament have suggested. Depending on how energy efficient a property is, the tax levy will be varied...
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Some 30% of young people expect to be self-employed in the future, according to a study by The Prince's Trust and Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS). The research was conducted as The Prince's Trust Enterprise programme prepares to celebrate its 30th...
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Some 62% of businesses are ready for pensions auto-enrolment in time for their staging date, an Institute of Directors (IoD) study has discovered. Of the 1,327 members of the IoD who responded to the survey, 98% said they were aware of the need to...
