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back to article Mixed messages for UK small biz

The British economy is showing some signs of recovery, but January's fall in retail sales is a sign that any recovery is weak and still needs help from government and low interest rates. Figures from the Office of National Statistics showed sales fell in January by 1.8 per cent compared to December. David Kern, Chief …

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  1. Jacqui
    Thumb Down

    end of year tax

    The tax man is hunting down funds and is targetingsmall businesses with spurious charges.

    Many small companies are having to go (repeatedly) through the ohmbudsman to recoup as much as 25K which is then immediately recharged and the process starts again.

    The tax man is far worse than the banks in trying to destroy UK small businesses and this being so close to end of year I can understand why some businesses would rather declare bankruptcy than have the tax men pull thier business down from under them.

    Jacqui

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  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    It's the government doing the winding-up...

    One of my clients is being wound up by HMRC. Clearly the rest of us creditors were prepared to wait. But not the government. And whatever cash they get *now* will probably get spent on unemployment benefit for all the people they are causing to get laid off. Well done indeed.

    Some figures:

    http://www.theyworkforyou.com/lords/?id=2010-01-13a.507.6

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  3. amanfromMars 1 Silver badge

    Spin me a Tale but not a Contemptible Lie

    "The British economy is showing some signs of recovery..."

    Where? And in what?

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  4. iMlite
    Big Brother

    Ministry of Truth?

    Well, there you have it – the ONS or Ministry of Truth speaks.

    British economy is showing some signs of recovery – retail sales fall by 1.8% – weather blamed.

    BCC - there is no significant sign that the economic recovery is gathering momentum - risk of a double-dip recession.

    Experian - Business insolvencies – down from 9 in 10,000 to 7 in 10,000 – 2007 levels – surely some mistake El Reg?

    The problem here is that the economy is being kept alive through government injections etc. When government support is withdrawn, as is expected over the next 2 years, we will have a massive increase in Taxes and probable economic stagnation possibly leading to another recession (the 1930’s depression was a double dip, the second coming 4 years after the first). Over the last 6 months the banks and largest companies have been adjusting business policy to accommodate projected withdrawal of government support and the related increase in costs. This is having a knock-on effect for smaller businesses and profitability. Personally, I wont take any stats as being useful until after the end of the financial year and forthcoming election!

    Experians insolvency stats are of some interest – holding on until after the end of the financial year, hoping things will get better? Many small businesses have cut back and adjusted business plans, those that didn’t went under. Will there be more cuts and adjustments during this year – I think so!

    Piccy of your local friendly Tax Man - always there to help!

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  5. Richard 126

    Small business recovery

    This small business is right now in the process of being packed into freight containers and emigrating along with all the staff. The UK claims to be business friendly, they are the most bloody useless place I have ever had the misforture to be.

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  6. sandman
    Thumb Up

    Better for some of us

    We've noticed a considerable improvement this year, orders are up, business activity in general is good and we've even recruited a few new bods (well, there were quite a few laid off last year). Oh, and we are a software company, not insolvency lawers.

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  7. Al Napp
    Alert

    I'm not an expert but sales in January fell due to most of us being snowed in for 2 weeks?

    Surely

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  8. Anonymous Coward
    Happy

    The magazine is empty

    The magazine is empty; the ammunition has been fired; there is nothing left! We can not print any more wonga to carry on the boost. Looks like we are one of the few EU countries that are not doing boost in 2010. See below

    http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/comment/hamish-mcrae/hamish-mcrae-next-years-fiscal-options-are-limited-whatever-bickering-economists-say-1905607.html

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  9. Anonymous Coward
    Stop

    Figures

    "Figures from the Office of National Statistics showed sales fell in January by 1.8 per cent compared to December."

    Hmm, I think there was some sort of celebration in December in which traditionally large quantities of gifts and food/drink are bought. Maybe that could explain why more money was spent in December.

    Or do they really mean that year-on-year, sales fell by 1.8% from January 2009 to January 2010?

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  10. Nick Kew

    Predictable and predicted

    The end of last year was fuelled by purchases ahead of the VAT rise. End of story. We could see it coming a mile off, before we had any idea the weather would turn wintery.

    The economy as a whole is borrowing ever more from the future. Its ability to repay has been choked by a decade-long housing bubble swallowing the money that needed to be invested in the productive economy to keep us healthy.

    Hope you like cold turkey.

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