“Council’s new local business tax is an ‘ill informed attack on jobs’ – Cllr. Chris Lofts”

Liberal Democrat Councillor Chris Lofts has branded Conservative plans to start charging small businesses for trading standards advice a "tax on jobs" and "a direct attack on business."

The Trading Standards service has always been paid for by business rates - the business version of Council tax. Now, however, the Conservative administration at County Hall has decided to start charging extra for it - to businesses of any size.

"For small businesses this cost could be crippling" commented Cllr Lofts "and in the current climate, the Council should be doing everything it can to help business - not cripple it further. The Liberal Democrats have suggested that small and medium businesses should be exempt from the charges."

The Federation of Small Businesses has identified that last year 6 in 10 small firms spent at least £1000 on complying with regulations. "As a Liberal Democrat I believe in supporting small businesses not over taxing them", explained Chris. "It will not be lost on business leaders that the Tories are sucking £100,000 from businesses at the same time as voting themselves pay rises costing the same amount. It's time the administration, and the ineffective Labour opposition, got their noses out of the feeding trough and started making real job creation in Northamptonshire a priority."