Reforming a complex tax relief scheme could help unlock benefits for SMEs and stimulate innovation, writes GEMMA MONAGHAN A complicated tax relief aimed at encouraging companies to commercialise their innovations is in dire need of reform because it favours the few. The Patent Box scheme is said to be beyond the understanding of many businesses […]
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Is your business ready for new rights?
The Employment Rights Act represents a major shift in the law, writes EUAN SMITH It’s no exaggeration to say that the pace of change in UK employment law looks set to be the fastest in a generation, principally because of the Employment Rights Act 2025 which has now received Royal Assent and is to be […]
Sir Tom’s vision: big on scale, light on people
The Entrepreneurs’ Manifesto is too cross, too narrow – and detached from most entrepreneurs, argues IAIN SCOTT Sir Tom Hunter the businessman and philanthropist has, through his Hunter Foundation, published a Manifesto. It is called The Entrepreneurs Manifesto. Now there is something revealing about a missing apostrophe. Entrepreneurs Manifesto. Not Entrepreneurs’. No sense of plurality, […]
Don’t ignore early signs of distress
Head off mounting problems by seeking advice before the situation gets worse, writes BLAIR MILNE The number of corporate insolvencies in 2025 is slightly up on 2024. The trend is clear: management teams and business owners continue to face a volatile and uncertain operating environment. This pressure is becoming the norm over the medium term, […]
Interview: Liz McCutcheon, CEO, Inspirent
Liz McCutcheon: firms need a personal touch (pic: Terry Murden) The business adviser says many small firms are feeling ‘battle-weary’, writes TERRY MURDEN In her 30-plus years steering small enterprises on to the next stage of their journey, Liz McCutcheon has helped firms seeking everything from new finance to how to understand their own balance […]