Businesses could be hit for £800 million by new laws

Date: 11th February 2009

British small businesses could be hit for as much as £80 million by the introduction of new legislation, it has been claimed.

The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has called for the government to delay new laws on flexible working, extended staff holidays and waste control measures, as it believes they will heap further financial pressure on struggling firms.

National chairman of the FSB, John Wright, commented: "The cost of new laws to small businesses this year is huge.

"Small businesses should be concentrating on keeping jobs, rather than spending time and money carrying out paperwork."

He added that "this is no time" to be handing extra financial burdens to small firms and business start-ups.

A recent investigation by the Confederation of British Industry discovered that around 60 per cent of small businesses believe accessing finance will become even more difficult over the next few months.