Darling: Business will not be ‘fiscal fall guy’

21/05/2008

Chancellor Alistair Darling has promised to ‘listen carefully’ to businesses before making any significant changes to the tax system, it was reported this morning.

Addressing the annual Confederation of British Industry (CBI) dinner last night, Darling said he would ensure UK businesses do not become the ‘fiscal fall guy’.

But he admitted ‘getting business tax right is not easy’, the BBC reported this morning.

Darling added that he was aware of the threats of businesses moving out of Britain.

"A few years ago one of our airlines used to say 'we never forget you have a choice'. Today, governments should remember that,” he said.

“Business is the lynchpin of the British economy. Business creates jobs, wealth and generates growth. Government must ensure the right framework within which business can prosper, and tax is an essential part of that framework.”

“I want you to know that I am listening to you, and even though there will be times when we do not agree, it does not mean that I have not heard what you have to say,” he said.

However, CBI president Martin Broughton told the BBC the tax system is currently too complicated.

“What business wants from the system of corporate taxation in Britain is clarity, certainty and competitiveness,” he said.

“What we are getting is cost, complexity and capiciousness.”