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British Chambers Of Commerce Unveils Manifesto

Amanda Banks, Tax-news.com, London

29 March 2001

Earlier this week the British Chambers of Commerce launched its version of Britain's business priorities for the next government, in a comprehensive manifesto at the opening of its National Conference in London. The manifesto, "Empowering Business", is the result of extensive research and consultations with many of the Chambers' 135,000 members and is a challenge to all political parties to meet 14 key business priorities focused on creating in Britain the best economy, regulatory environment, skilled people, transport infrastructure and business support.

The bulk of the manifesto is concerned with ways to tackle the rising tax and regulatory burden on business, including measures to simplify the tax system. Among their demands, the Chambers are pressing for cuts in business payroll compliance costs by at least 20 per cent over the next parliament, regulatory budgets for government departments, and firm commitment to the principle of 'regulation as a last resort.'

Launching the manifesto, Anthony Goldstone, President of the British Chambers of Commerce, said: 'The most important priority for any government is to create the right conditions for business, our wealth creators, to thrive. We need to tackle the fundamentals - low skills levels, lack of business investment, a dilapidated transport infrastructure and the regulatory burden on small firms. Our manifesto offers a range of recommendations and solutions to the problems facing business and government, and we urge the political leaders to take heed, to commit and, in government, to deliver.'

Among their manifesto recommendations, the Chambers urged the next incoming government to:

  • Reduce the tax burden on business which, according to the OECD, as a percentage of GDP in the UK (14.5%) is much higher than many of UK’s key trading partners: USA (10.0%), Netherlands (11.5%), Ireland (11.7%) and Germany (12.8%).
  • Reduce the cumulative burden of regulations on business, through the use of regulatory budgets for government departments
  • Make tax simplification a priority, pursuing a tax simplification project similar to the tax law rewrite, but that focuses on the underlying tax system.
  • Address priority skills issues, specifically by supporting the establishment of local and sectoral 'employer learning networks' for small and large firms to help each other to achieve their training needs.
  • Reform the planning system introducing greater flexibility into development plans and speeding up the planning process.

Chris Humphries, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce, said: 'Our National Conference offers a powerful platform for the politicians to show they mean business. While too much regulation remains the constant message from our members, we will be asking all parties to submit their manifesto to a regulatory impact assessment to ensure the impact on business, whether positive or negative, is visible.'

The full text of the manifesto can be downloaded in pdf format at: http://www.britishchambers.org.uk/generalelection/Manifesto.pdf

For full Conference coverage, and live broadcasts on the web from Communicating Live, visit: http://www.britishchambers.org.uk/conference2001

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