Speaking at the Bury St Edmunds Chamber of Commerce and Industry on 10 December, David Ruffley MP set out a ten-point plan to help small businesses. David said that the Government would:

• - Lower business taxes by cutting the rate of corporation tax from 28% to 24% in four years
• - Increase the threshold at which employers begin paying National Insurance Contributions.
• - Double the amount of business rate relief available to small firms for one year and encourage local authorities to administer it in a way which helps Suffolk businesses.
• - Extend the Enterprise Finance Guarantee by up to £2 billion over four years, ensure enterprise capital funds shortly begin investing, look at ways to support 'business angel' investment, and get banks to adopt a new lending code.
• - Introduce a new 'one in, one out' rule on new regulations, review health and safety legislation and stop the 'gold-plating' of EU regulations.
• - Review IR35 and other small business taxation to create a more stable, supportive tax system.
• - Raise the entrepreneurs' relief lifetime limit on Capital Gains Tax from £2 million to £5 million.
• - Get more business mentors- organisations representing 40,000 mentors have already signed up.
• - Remove the barriers that prevent small firms from bidding for Government contracts and introduce a new standard pre-qualification questionnaire.
• - Encourage small businesses to contact the Office of Tax Simplification ( www.hmtreasury.gov.uk/ots ) about how the tax system could be made simpler.

David added: 'To get the economy moving again we must support entrepreneurs and small businesses. At today's meeting it was clear that these ten Government measures would help businesses in my constituency and small businesses will be the backbone of UK PLC's economic recovery.'