We would like to see the Chancellor take the bull by the horns and address the most pressing issues that emerged at the time of the last election, including the post Brexit deal and the arrival of the Coronavirus. There has been talk about a corona budget but there are fundamental issues that need attention.

First, the retention of flexibility in the workforce should be underpinned by positive government policy. Government seems to be working hard to destroy flexibility by wishing to tax all deployed workers as employees, the proposed new IR35 rules being the most obvious and recent example. There should be a tax give away reflecting the fact that self employed workers who are supplied do not generally have employment rights and accept greater risk, for example work security, than employed workers.

Second, adjustments to the apprenticeship levy to make a more obvious and desirable connection between training in the areas we need in this country and future employment for our own workers. Third, the retention of incentives for entrepreneurs to create employment, countering the recent erosion of tax reliefs on dividends and providing reliefs for entrepreneurs rather than just pure investors.

Fourth, investment into infrastructure programmes that drive homegrown manufacturing and innovation at a time when the coronavirus has graphically exposed our inordinate dependency on China, the effect on the environment of globalisation in terms of shipping goods around the world, and the need to reduce emissions.

We believe that if adopted, the measures would help our economy in both the short and the long term.

 

Adrian Marlowe

Chairman ARC