Business News Articles

Small firms warned against cutting back on health and safety
Small businesses are being warned that if they cut back on staff training they may face a fine or imprisonment under a new government health and safety act. The British Safety Council (BSC) has welcomed the new Health and Safety (Offences) Act, which can impose heavy fines and jail time on the company owner on any business that is found to be in breach of the act. "With the new risk of highe... more

Business confidence at 16-year low
Business confidence in the UK has fallen to its lowest level since 1992, according to data published by Lloyds TSB The banks bi-annual Business Confidence Index shows that confidence is at the lowest level in 16 years and that the number of businesses expecting a decline in sales and orders exceeds those who expect their firm's business to improve. The research of 4,000 firms showed that sin... more

Government plans bad debt bank
The government is thought to be considering plans to create a state-owned bank to accumulate all bad debt in a bid to revive the UK economy. ... more

Government approve third runway for Heathrow
Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon has announced that the government has approved plans to build a third runway at Heathrow Airport. The plan has been backed by the majority of the businesses in the UK, who argue that the expansion is necessary in order to ensure that the country does not loose vital business. Environmental campaigners, who argue that the new runway would make it impossible for ... more

£10,000 prize fund for young entrepreneur of the year
Youth enterprise scheme Shell LiveWIRE has announced it will invest up to £70,000 in a new awards programme. Each month five entrepreneurs aged between 16-30 will compete for the award of best business idea, which comes with a prize of £1,000. Entrepreneurs under 30 can also enter the Shell LiveWIRE Young Entrepreneur of the Year award, which will see the winner walk away with £10,000. ... more

Downturn ‘will create new businesses’
The economic recession could prompt a wave of new businesses that will create jobs and help fuel a recovery, according to an upbeat assessment by insurance company Hiscox. ... more

Graduates face tough jobs market
People graduating from universities this year face one of the toughest jobs markets in almost two decades, according to research by High Fliers Research. ... more

Small businesses taking advantage of HMRC time to pay scheme
Over 20,000 UK businesses have postponed paying more than £350m in tax since the launch of the HMRC time to pay scheme. The new service allows businesses to pay all HMRC taxes - including VAT, National Insurance Contributions and PAYE - through a personalized timetable. The service was introduced in an attempt to help keep firms afloat in the current economic climate, and many small compani... more

Tax changes have cost small businesses 'over £2bn'
Changes to small companies tax regimes has resulted in over 500,000 small firms in the UK having to pay an extra £2.4bn a year, according to Tory MP Justine Greening. The shadow Treasury economic secretary has stated that the abolition of the zero starting rate of corporation tax in 2006 has resulted in the taxation at 21% of businesses that have profits below £10,000. The Labour governmen... more

Banks have 'no excuses' to not lend to small firms
The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) have stated that banks have ‘no excuses' to not lend to small firms, following the announcement of the governments new £1.3bn fund. The FSB hope that The Enterprise Finance Guarantee, which was unveiled today, will ensure that banks increase lending to small companies to provide much needed cash-flow. Recent figures released by UK banks revealed th... more