Research from Panasonic Business Systems has found that 84% of self-employed believe that the government is not supportive enough. This follows plans and initiatives from the Department of Trade and Industry to save small businesses £100 million per year by making it easier to set up a business, as around 99% of UK companies are small businesses and employ almost 50% of the private work force.
More than 60% of the 1,120 people surveyed, had become self-employed within the last five years, and found that the biggest benefit was flexibility, although 23% said that the biggest downside was the financial pressure.
Our view
Notwithstanding that Government cripple the small business with red tape and even tell you how much you must pay staff, even if they are not worth it, and then you cannot sack them if they are no good and you must let them have a few years off (paid) if they have children, they have finally worked out that the only way Britain will survive is by having flourishing small businesses.
Big business is going overseas where it is cheaper. They now wake up to small business. The Government do very little to help the small business person whether self employed or running a limited company. The small business acts as a tax collector for Government for income tax, national insurance, value added tax and corporation tax. In addition, high business rates (when compared to private homes) are paid and you do not even get your rubbish collected.
That is without all the paperwork for tax credits, year end returns, vat returns, health and safety, asbestos building reports to protect staff, p60s, P14s, PIIs, P35s, and we nearly forgot the requirement to offer staff a pension scheme and run that for the Government.
It is a paper and tax mountain that most business people probably start to earn for themselves on or around the 25th of the month, the previous 3.5 weeks in the month having been worked for the Government for free. The hardworking business person then needs a scan on their heart due to stress and they have to wait 14 weeks to get it! If the business person were an animal, it would be off to the glue factory.
We consider the abuse of small businesses in the UK a breach of contract by this Government. Rip Off Britain!