Green Manifesto 2010 Small Business

Green Manifesto 2010 Small Business

Promoting diversity

We would:

• Simplify PAYE by aligning the lower National Insurance limit with the personal allowance and abolishing the upper limit.
• In the long run, aim to merge National Insurance into Income Tax.
• Make it illegal for a contract with a self- employed person to imply a pay rate below the national minimum wage.
• Amend planning laws to allow appropriate small businesses to operate in residential areas and ensure all large new retail developments include spaces for small local businesses.
• Help small businesses cope with regulation and provide tailored advice on energy efficiency.
• Introduce a network of local community banks, which will provide, among other things, a new source of finance for small businesses.
• Use our proposals to revitalise the Post Office network (see page 19), in particular to help small businesses.
• Provide special help for small rural businesses.
• Introduce legislation to penalise late payment.
• Reduce corporation tax for small firms to 20% (see page 15 above).

Green councillor earns fairer rents deal for seafront traders

After Conservative-led Brighton & Hove City Council hiked rent and other costs for many seafront businesses, members of the Seafront Business Association asked local Green Councillor Jason Kitcat for help. Through a Freedom of Information request Councillor Kitcat revealed a council deal with private chartered surveyors, who would receive a commission of 30 per cent on any rent increase they could negotiate with the seafront traders, on top of their fixed fee. As a result, the assessment of the majority of seafront rents has now been handed to a new in-house team; the result should be fairer rents for traders.