companies house made easy

SMEs concentrate on marketing to make money

Small businesses are concentrating their time and efforts into sales and marketing strategies to offset difficult trading conditions.

economically inactive mask true jobless figures

Unemployment has fallen to 7.8% during the three months to January, but the number of people in work fell by 54,000 during the quarter according to official statistics.

30% more risk without a website

Small businesses that do not trade online are 30% more likely to fail than SMEs with a web presence, according to a new report.

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More than half of the UK’s small business owners believe that the tax system favours big business, according to a survey by the Forum of Private Business (FPB).

45% of SME owners stated that tax was a very serious issue for their company, and most respondents wanted a fairer system for taxation, with ‘simplicity’ being the next most popular reform.

"The complexity of the British tax system is not only time-consuming and frustrating, it also puts small firms at an instant disadvantage," stated FPB representative Phil McCabe.

"Big companies have the expertise and resources to understand the system and minimise their tax burden. For most of our members, hiring an outside tax consultant represents a significant cost few can afford, especially in the midst of a recession."

National Insurance contributions are set to rise by 1% in April 2011, and small business organisations the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) and Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) are urging the government to abandon the policy, which they say will be an “extra tax on jobs”, and further reduce employment opportunities.