40% Of UK Red Tape Down To EU Legislation, Study Reveals

by Robin Pilgrim, LawAndTax-News.com, London

25 February 2003

A new study put together by the London and Manchester Business Schools in conjunction with the British Chambers of Commerce has revealed that some 40% of the UK's £20 billion red tape bill is the direct result of European legislation.

Revealing that the cost to UK businesses of new legislation in areas such as vehicle emissions, data protection, pensions, criminal justice, employment, and environmental legislation leapt by more than £6 billion from last year, BCC director-general, David Frost observed that:

'Some people will be surprised the proportion is only 40%; others may have expected it to be much higher. Either way, the impact on British business amounts to more than £20 billion according to the government's own published assessments.'

According to a report from the Personnel Today news service, the BCC boss went on to urge tighter monitoring of legislative changes arguing that:

'One thing is clear, legislation may or may not be appropriate, necessary or effective, but without a workable system of checks and balances that government takes seriously, who can judge?'

Recommended