The chancellor’s [finance minister] pre-budget statement in the UK parliament on Monday afternoon was a missed opportunity to help businesses, according to the Retail Motor Industry Federation (RMIF), which grumbled that “they continue to carry the costs as the government’s tax collectors”.
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The RMIF said that the chancellor, Gordon Brown, failed to address “vital retail motor industry business topics” such as aspects of business finance, payroll administration, the compulsory national minimum wage and capital allowances.
RMIF chief executive Matthew Carrington said: ‘We are extremely disappointed that opportunities to address issues within our sector have not been seized.
“Also, there was no mention of any further reduction in the ‘gold plating’ (i.e. strict enforcement) of European Union directives, which only serves to reduce the competitiveness of UK businesses.”
But he wasn’t entirely displeased with the statement, adding: “We are pleased that the chancellor has mentioned the importance of investing heavily in skills: at any one time, thousands of young people will be working towards qualifications with the RMIF’s training arm ReMIT (Retail Motor Industry Training). However, we note that issues of funding are still not being adequately addressed.”
