Anne Marie said:
“I am pleased the Exchequer Secretary was able to give a short presentation to the All Party Parliamentary Group on Micro Businesses to update us on what the Government has been doing to assist new start-ups, sole traders and our smallest enterprises.
“I formed the APPG for Micro Businesses because I believe our smallest companies need to have a bigger voice in Westminster. The importance of small businesses to our country cannot be underestimated. They are the true backbone of our economy and it is their innovativeness that will provide the solid foundation upon which future economic prosperity will be built.
“I support what the Government is doing to help our micro businesses. Extending Small Business Rate Relief for a further year, putting in place a National Insurance Holiday and exempting small businesses from any new domestic regulation are just three of many policies that I believe are providing much needed assistance to our smallest companies. However, I believe much more can and should be done. For example, the price of filling up the car remains high, banks still need further encouragement to lend, VAT remains a complicated, bureaucratic and costly tax and more tax reliefs need to be automatic or easier to obtain.”