companies house made easy

self-assessment deadline extended

Sole traders, entrepreneurs and other individuals who are required to fill out self-assessment tax returns will not receive a late filing penalty if they make their submission on the 1st or 2nd of February.

schools must develop entrepreneurs

The Forum for Private Business has called for schools to play a leading role in encouraging entrepreneurship amongst young people.

google targets welsh SMEs

Search engine giant Google has announced a 12 month campaign to get businesses in Wales to start using the web.

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The Forum for Private Business (FPB) has called for the Government’s pre-Budget report to continue with measures to help support SMEs through the recession.

Public sector borrowing is expected to rise to £185 billion by the end of 2009, and huge budget cuts are likely. The FPB is urging the Government not to include initiatives such as the Trade Credit Insurance top-up scheme and Enterprise Finance Guarantee (EFG).

Small businesses are still suffering from a lack of available credit, and schemes like the EFG have been a lifeline to many smaller firms.

"Government cuts should not include those programmes that are making a real difference for struggling firms," stated Matt Goodman, policy representative for the FPB.

"As the main drivers of growth, small businesses need to be placed at the heart of plans for economic recovery so they can make the most of future opportunities."

The pre-Budget report will be released later in the year.