Category: Money
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Don’t Borrow to Stand Still
A third of owners planning to borrow say it’s purely to survive. With rates staying high, a loan to stand still is the one to think hardest about. Fix the leak first.
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It’s Not the Budget
65% of small business owners fear a Budget tax rise could close them within a year. If one Budget could finish you, the problem isn’t the Budget. It’s your margin.
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Where the Tax Bites
Hospitality pays 82p in tax for every £1 of profit. The problem isn’t tax on profit, it’s the taxes charged whether you make one or not, and that’s what to watch on Budget day.
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Ask While You’re Calm
Business lending growth is forecast to more than halve this year, mostly because firms aren’t asking. If you’ll need finance in the next year, ask now while you don’t need it.
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Five Weeks to the Budget: Why a Shrinking £5bn Buffer Should Worry Every Business Owner
The Chancellor’s fiscal headroom has shrunk to roughly £5bn from £24bn since the Spring Forecast. Here’s what that actually means, and why it makes tax rises or spending cuts more likely on 28 October.
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Stop Running Your Business Around a Budget That Hasn’t Happened Yet
Only 17% of SMEs plan to increase investment this quarter — the lowest since the pandemic — while waiting on a Budget that’s still five weeks away. My take: that’s the wrong call for most of them.
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Rates Held, Inflation Up: What Today’s Bank of England Decision Means for Your Business
The Bank of England held Bank Rate at 3.75% today, its fourth hold in a row — but inflation just hit a five-month high of 3.1%. Here’s what a hold that isn’t really stable means for your borrowing and pricing decisions.