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Business groups says tax clarity needed at budget

Business groups says tax clarity needed at budget
Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves speaks during a press conference following her statement to the House of Commons on the findings of the Treasury audit into the state of the public finances on July 29, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Lucy North-WPA Pool/Getty Images)

Chancellor Rachel Reeves needs to strike a positive tone at her first budget on 30 October in order to give businesses the confidence to invest, the Confederation of British Industry said on Tuesday.

After winning a large parliament majority on 4 July, Reeves and prime minister Keir Starmer said the former Conservative government had left a dire economic legacy, including a 22-billion-pound hole in the public finances, which they said were in the worst state since World War Two.


Business and consumer sentiment weakened last month, partly out of concern about higher taxes, and the CBI said it was important the Reeves struck the right tone on 30 October.

"We recognise the chancellor is walking a fine line with limited fiscal headroom. While we cannot risk the economic stability that is the bedrock of growth, we must be ambitious in our vision with government laying the foundations for a prosperous future," CBI chief executive Rain Newton-Smith said.

Reeves has said taxes are likely to have to go up by more than Labour had planned before the election. But with Labour saying it will stick to its pledge not to raise headline rates of income tax, national insurance or value-added tax, some businesses are concerned that they will be targeted.

The CBI said Labour should set out a five-year roadmap for business taxation, including which areas were likely to be reviewed, similar to the approach taken by the Conservative-led coalition government in 2010.

The Federation of Small Businesses, which also released a set of budget requests on Tuesday, called for Reeves to fulfil an election pledge to reform business property taxation to help small retailers and also to ensure a partial exemption on social security charges kept pace with the rising minimum wage.

Labour has said it will keep the headline rate of corporation tax unchanged but has left the door open to other changes which would raise the overall tax burden.

Other areas where the CBI called for change included greater flexibility on which training courses were eligible for apprenticeship funding, tax breaks for green investment and spending on healthcare for staff and a nationwide rollout of funding for digital investment by smaller firms.

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New benefits scheme for Fed members

New benefits scheme for Fed members

The Federation of Independent Retailers (The Fed) has launched an exclusive benefits scheme for Fed members.

Called FedPlus, the scheme offers a range of discounts on a host of goods and activities, from everyday purchases to luxury products.

Through FedPlus, Fed members will have access to a range of fantastic money-saving benefits covering a wide variety of areas – from health and well-being to home and car essentials, and from food and drink to fashion and tech, entertainment, travel and experiences.

There is a Savings Calculator to show how much has been saved, based on monthly or annual spending, on a range of everyday categories. The Savings Calculator will generate a personal savings total and provide links to the individual deals.

Launching FedPlus, National President Mo Razzaq said: “In my inaugural speech at the Fed’s Annual Conference in June, I spoke about the importance of providing more benefits to help members make money, save money and make business easier.

“Just four months on, we are delighted to bring you FedPlus. This is an exciting new addition to our ever-growing list of member benefits which brings you quick, at your fingertips access to several offers across a wide range of categories so the money in your wallets and purses goes even further in these financially strained times.”

Members can access the scheme through thefedonline.com website. It went live yesterday (October 31).

FedPlus is managed and run for the Fed by Parliament Hill Limited, which has been providing benefit management solutions for membership organisations for the past 20 years. Top name companies offering discounts include Virgin Experience Days, Nuffield Health, Hotpoint, Halfords, Boots, Curry’s and EE.

Tom Sparke, joint managing director and client services director at Parliament Hill, said: “We are looking forward to working with the Fed to assist them in the fantastic support that it provides for its members.

“The Fed has a strong commitment to supporting its members, which aligns with the Parliament Hill ethos of placing the needs of our clients’ members at the heart of what we do.”

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