Budget ‘must focus on private sector’, warns BCC

Business leaders have urged Chancellor Alistair Darling to help the UK’s ‘embattled private sector’ in today’s Budget.

In its submission to the Treasury, the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) claims that granting the wealth-creating ‘productive sector’ more freedom and flexibility will help haul the UK out of recession.

‘It will be business that drives the economy forward, creating jobs and wealth. Their importance to the country cannot be ignored,’ said BCC Director General, David Frost.

The lobby group has outlined a package of short-term measures which it believes will lead to ‘sustainable national recovery’. These include a proposed freeze on the National Minimum Wage, the reintroduction of empty property rate relief and a reduction in the rate of small companies’ corporation tax.

It also suggests re-introducing a Temporary Short Time Working Compensation Scheme to promote short-time working rather than redundancy.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown has already pledged that Wednesday’s statement will focus on job creation, with analysts predicting an expansion to the range of Jobcentre Plus services and the launch of a new initiative to give unemployed young people additional training and work experience.

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