23rd October 2023

Hunt urged to tackle  later payers

The Federation of Small Businesses is calling on the Chancellor to pressure large companies to pay smaller suppliers on time, with the body’s chairman Martin McTague describing late payments as “pernicious” for his members.

He also called for an extension on the 75% discount on business rates for retail, hospitality and leisure businesses and to end the “simple flaw” in the tax system that prevents the self-employed deducting training costs from their tax bills.

Meanwhile, the British Chambers of Commerce has urged Jeremy Hunt to help firms reduce sickness rates by making occupational health services no longer a taxable benefit.

Shevaun Haviland, the BCC’s director general, also called for reforms to the planning system to speed up decision-making and open up investment.