Does a hung Parliament scare you?
Detail:
Four out of five businesses are worried about the prospect of a hung parliament after the next General Election, says The British Chamber of Commerce. Director-general of the BCC David Frost said businesses were right to be wary if no party won a workable majority because companies prefer a clear mandate to lead and govern the country.
The survey of 300 companies found that 65 per cent were either ‘concerned’ or ‘very concerned’ about the prospect of no clear winner.
Most of those polled also believed VAT would increase after the election.
The director-general had said: “With our economy still fragile and the public finances in a dire state, the overwhelming concern is whether a hung parliament will provide decisive action around the UK’s unsustainable deficit. Whatever the outcome of the election, whether we have a coalition government or not, we must see a credible plan to reduce the deficit and restore confidence within 90 days.”
The BCC has publicly agreed with the Conservatives’ pledge to scrap part of next year’s planned increase in National Insurance. He said the survey gave further evidence that business leaders wanted the employer National Insurance rise – planned for 2011 – abolished in full.
“Most businesses expect VAT to increase after an election to help plug the hole in our public finances. Considering companies have already said that VAT would be less damaging to their operation than a hike in National Insurance Contributions, it seems obvious that the tax on jobs should be scrapped and replaced by a less harmful tax on consumption.”
The bottom line is that, despite almost daily reports about Britain coming out/being out of the recession, the economy is still in bad shape.
Talking to a successful pet retailer last week, he said business was getting harder – it was not bad, but certainly down once all rising costs and squeezed margins were taken into account. And certainly down compared with when we were smack bang in the middle of the recession. He felt one reason people were counting their pennies more carefully was the upcoming election – no-one knows what is going to happen, he said, and that scared people.
It’s a fact that all elections have seen falling voter numbers: election fatigue or the simple ‘Nothing’s going to change’ mentality?
However, this is one time when it is important that we all exercise our democratic right and vote for the party that we believe will steer us in the right direction. There is no point wimping out on the ‘It won’t make any difference, they’re all just as bad as each other’. That is a schoolboy argument. Look at each party’s manifesto and vote for the party that you believe will help your business best.
It’s time to stop complaining and grumbling about the state of the country, and start doing something about it.
The survey of 300 companies found that 65 per cent were either ‘concerned’ or ‘very concerned’ about the prospect of no clear winner.
Most of those polled also believed VAT would increase after the election.
The director-general had said: “With our economy still fragile and the public finances in a dire state, the overwhelming concern is whether a hung parliament will provide decisive action around the UK’s unsustainable deficit. Whatever the outcome of the election, whether we have a coalition government or not, we must see a credible plan to reduce the deficit and restore confidence within 90 days.”
The BCC has publicly agreed with the Conservatives’ pledge to scrap part of next year’s planned increase in National Insurance. He said the survey gave further evidence that business leaders wanted the employer National Insurance rise – planned for 2011 – abolished in full.
“Most businesses expect VAT to increase after an election to help plug the hole in our public finances. Considering companies have already said that VAT would be less damaging to their operation than a hike in National Insurance Contributions, it seems obvious that the tax on jobs should be scrapped and replaced by a less harmful tax on consumption.”
The bottom line is that, despite almost daily reports about Britain coming out/being out of the recession, the economy is still in bad shape.
Talking to a successful pet retailer last week, he said business was getting harder – it was not bad, but certainly down once all rising costs and squeezed margins were taken into account. And certainly down compared with when we were smack bang in the middle of the recession. He felt one reason people were counting their pennies more carefully was the upcoming election – no-one knows what is going to happen, he said, and that scared people.
It’s a fact that all elections have seen falling voter numbers: election fatigue or the simple ‘Nothing’s going to change’ mentality?
However, this is one time when it is important that we all exercise our democratic right and vote for the party that we believe will steer us in the right direction. There is no point wimping out on the ‘It won’t make any difference, they’re all just as bad as each other’. That is a schoolboy argument. Look at each party’s manifesto and vote for the party that you believe will help your business best.
It’s time to stop complaining and grumbling about the state of the country, and start doing something about it.
By:
Sandra
Date/time :
26/04/2010
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