Last week British Chambers of Commerce were invited to take a small group to meet with the Prime Minister at No.10.

Led by the President, also participating were the Presidents of London, Manchester, the North East and the Director General.

They used the opportunity to give an overview of the current state of the economy, both from the national perspective of our Quarterly Economic Survey and also local conditions as represented by the individual Chambers.

We then discussed our response to the PBR.  The PM said he did not think that we were being positive enough about the measures in the announcement.

Our response was that collectively and individually Chambers had acknowledged the support measures, not least the HMRC Business Payment Support Service, Small Business Finance Scheme, the extra EIB funds and the introduction of a foreign dividend exemption for large and medium-sized businesses.

However, we did have concerns about Empty Property.  The threshold should have been scrapped completely rather than being restricted to a £15,000 RV; Fuel Duty increases; and importantly the raising of National Insurance Contributions (NIC’s).

He responded by saying that the fall of commodity prices would help businesses and that the increases in NIC’s would only happen if it were necessary for public finances. The Government “has to show that it has sustainable public finances”.

A considerable part of the meeting was spent discussing the relationship between the Banks and Business. Our team pointed out the failings at the present time and the way that business was being impacted. We did point out that the Banks were in a difficult position as they clearly needed to raise their own capital. This is clearly an issue that is exercising the Prime Minister, the Treasury and BERR, and our role in the Small Business Finance Forum was acknowledged.

Finally, we highlighted the good work that Chambers across the country are doing to help business get through the current difficulties and the real efforts that were being made to secure the future of local economies.

The PM said that he wanted to ensure that Public Sector Procurement benefited local business. It was clear from the response that Chambers were involved in a variety of initiatives to promote this. However, we still believed that the Government need to exert more pressure on local public agencies.

Around £16.2million of business tax has been rescheduled by businesses in the North West as a direct result of a quick call to the new HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) Business Payment Support Service (BPSS).

This service was announced in the Chancellor’s pre Budget statement on 24 November and opened to business nationwide on the same day.

HMRC staff on this fast track service have been busy talking to businesses in the North West which need extra time to pay their tax bills due to the current difficult economic circumstances.

This is a fast and streamlined service that enables businesses to speak directly with an advisor to agree an affordable timetable without incurring any extra charges, saving hard working businesses time and money.

Financial Secretary to the Treasury Stephen Timms MP said:

“We are determined to do everything we can to support business through these testing times and I would strongly encourage any business anticipating difficulties paying their taxes to call HMRC’s Business Payment Support Service.

“This service is making a real difference for businesses across the country and I am very pleased that HMRC has been able to provide support to over 360 businesses in the North West.”

The BPSS can be contacted on 0845 302 1435 from 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday and 8am to 4pm on weekends.

Businesswomen from the city and region are invited to Athena’s next networking meeting on 11 December.

Athena is the pemier networking organisation for women in business. It was founded to provide women in business, who were unable to commit to attend early morning networking breakfast meetings, on a regular basis, with opportunities to make strategic connections with professionals in a wide range of industry sectors.

At the heart of Athena’s activities, networking groups meet each month over a good lunch in an attractive venue to make new contacts, develop valuable business expertise and explore visionary ideas.

The next meeting takes place on Thursday 11th December.

Venue: Simply Heathcotes, Beetham Plaza, 25 The Strand, Liverpool 2

Time: 12 until 2pm

Cost: £18 meeting fee that includes lunch and refreshments

Please reserve your place by calling Heather 0845 409 5878 or 07837 352313 .

For more info on Athena and to join, visit their website.

Monday 26th January 2009

Life can sometimes be a little unpredictable, but an education at Merchant Taylors’ Schools is a great start to a young life.

We are passionate about education and understand the importance of the next few years in your child’s development. We have the best facilities and are proud of our outstanding exam results.

To be part of our success, call us and book a place in our 11+ entrance exam.

Boys’ Schools - 0151 949 9333
Girls’ Schools - 0151 932 2414

Limited places are available in other year groups from Reception through to Sixth Form. Contact the schools for more details

08/09 Term Fees

Infant and Junior Schools £2,004
Senior Schools and Sixth Form £2,727

www.merchanttaylors.com

The Best Education For Life
Senior Boys | Senior Girls | Junior Boys | Stanfield Mixed Infants & Junior Girls

Here’s a warning on a possible scam we received…

Liverpool Chamber of Commerce has received a data control request via email from the World Business Guide based at an address in Madrid, Spain.

The initial text on the form and in the email indicates that updating is free of charge, however the small print at the bottom of the form states that signing the document forms a legally binding agreement for three year’s inclusion in the guide at a cost of 995 Euros at year.

Liverpool Chamber of Commerce has informed Liverpool City Council’s Trading Standards team about the forms as they are unsolicited and deliberately misleading.

Liverpool Chamber advises that if your company receives one of the forms, read the small print very carefully before deciding whether to complete it and committing to a charge of 2985 Euros.