On the tenth anniversary of Small Business Saturday, Preet Kaur Gill MP met with business owners in Quinton.
Small Business Saturday celebrates this success and encourages consumers to 'shop local' and to support businesses in their communities.
Preet Kaur Gill MP highlighted the difficulties faced by small businesses with business rates, a crashed economy, soaring energy costs and supply chain issues. Yet, these local employers are crucial to the local community and high street.
Labour has recognised the support that small businesses need not only to survive but to thrive. This is why the party has pledged to cut and eventually entirely scrap business rates, replacing them with a new form of business taxation fit for the 21st Century. This would help level the playing field between online giants and bricks and mortar businesses.
Labour’s plan will also tackle the £20bn late payments crisis affecting SMEs. The Federation of Small Businesses has recently said that proposed Labour plans to help small businesses get their unpaid invoices paid on time are “exactly what the UK’s 5.5m SMEs need”.
With more than £20bn in unpaid invoices outstanding at any one time, the delay is costing small businesses £684m.
Preet Kaur Gill, Labour MP for Birmingham Edgbaston said:
“I am delighted to support this tenth anniversary year of Small Business Saturday. Small businesses do so much to enrich our lives and our community, providing jobs, training and driving economic growth.
“I know that businesses like Coffee and Café @ 268 in Quinton have faced massive adversity and hardship over the last few years and beyond, and now face further challenges like unfair business rates, supply chain issues and soaring energy costs.
“We will carry out the biggest overhaul of business taxation in a generation, supporting our small businesses which are a critical part of our economy and communities, while balancing the playing field between bricks and mortar businesses and online giants.
“Local businesses want a reliable partner in government that will listen to their concerns and take real, practical steps to help them thrive. Labour has a plan that will make a real difference for business owners looking to get on, both immediately and in the long-term.”
Jamie Whitehouse from Coffee and Café @ 268 on Ridgacre Road in Quinton said:
“It was really difficult trying to set up a new business with rising energy bills and with food costs getting more expensive. I only want to serve the best quality food to my customers so that they have an enjoyable experience, in a cosy coffee shop and return time and again. But, setting up a new family business in these conditions scared me. I worry about being able to pay my staff at the end of the month.
“But I love cooking and meeting new people. And while I never thought I would go from builder to café owner, this is my passion, so I’m determined to work with my partner, Wayne Stopps, to make this a success and a fantastic place for everyone in the community to come and enjoy.”
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