UK govt urged to cut red tape that is weighing small firms down

The UK government and Europe must look at cutting red tape to help small businesses and other firms grow in the years to come.

That is the opinion of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), which believes tens of millions of pounds of extra rules and regulations have been added recently.

Now, the organisation is urging for action on what it calls an "ingrained culture where is too little detailed thinking about the real impact of regulation on business".

Katja Hall, CBI's Chief Policy Director, explained that while the Autumn Statement contained "some really welcome proposals", there are still too many regulations.

"Small and medium-sized businesses are the engines of growth, but they're telling us they are drowning under the weight of extra regulation coming out of Whitehall, layered on top of outdated red tape which has not been repealed," she explained.

It comes after the government scrapped a planned 3p rise in Fuel Duty in last week's Autumn Statement, helping small businesses that rely on the use of vehicles.

Posted by Thomas Fletcher

Date published 11 Dec 2012 | Last updated 11 Dec 2012