The Government’s Red Tape Challenge

The Government is keen to reduce the burden and cost of unnecessary regulation on business.  The BPF has encouraged all members to send in ideas to the “Red Tape Challenge” website.

Below you will see synopsis of some BPF member views submitted so far…

I encourage my staff to follow Health and Safety guidelines, but the load is ridiculous.  We have to employ a full time H&S manager just to keep up with the level of administration and restrictive practices.

Different levels on PAYE and NI contributions – unnecessary admin burden – just have one tax rate for all.

Payroll and taxation rules are so complex, it beggars belief; the whole country would be better off with a unified logical system.

Employment Law – forever changing and creates a burden for employers

Employment law, the dice are loaded against us here too, and the balance of power has been skewed to allow staff which wants to take on spurious claims or indulge in excessive sickness; witness the fit for work regulations which are clumsy at best.  The new ‘retirement’ laws mean we can’t plan for staff retirement, we can’t even ask them if they will retire at 65 or not as that would be constructive dismissal!  Absolute madness you couldn’t make it up, but we have to work with it, and so we have to employ duplicate people for an intermediate time, or risk the business when key staff leave at a months’ notice to retire.

REACH, do you really need this explaining; another minefield of administration for unknown gains.

We have the climate change levy which is a blatant tax on industrial energy consumers who already pay a fortune in energy charges; and the climate change levy does nothing to reduce this, similarly the carbon reduction commitment, imposed by well meaning people with no real world experience of manufacturing.

Companies going into administration, liquidation etc. – time consuming and pre-pack arrangements make a farce of paying liabilities.  Legislation should tighten control on companies going bust and not allow pre-packs – make it easier to jail/fine/strike off directors who do not do the responsible thing.

We urge member companies to make further submissions either through us or direct to www.redtapechallenge.co.uk