Businesses have 'no room' for any more tax in Autumn Budget - Herefordshire and Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce
Chancellor Rachel Reeves is set to announce the Autumn Budget tomorrow (26 November)
Herefordshire and Worcestershire's Chamber of Commerce has said the Autumn Budget needs to allow businesses to 'look to the future with some confidence'.
Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves will deliver her second one in the role since Labour won last year's general election tomorrow.
In her 'scene setter' speech at the start of November for it, the Chancellor said she would "make the choices necessary to deliver strong foundations for our economy".
"This budget is massively important, the budget last year created huge challenges and huge problems for business," said Robert Elliot, director of business engagement and policy at Herefordshire and Worcestershire's Chamber of Commerce.
"The minimum wage and the National Insurance changes led to a number of businesses incurring extra costs and in a number of cases meaning when employees were moving on, those employees were not being replaced."
On what he wants to see happen in the budget, he said: "Taxation is one of the areas which has to be business orientated in terms of how those businesses can move forward, there is no room for any more tax to businesses, that is an absolute must, we cannot have more tax to businesses, they are currently being squeezed as far as employment is concerned.
"Businesses need to be given the opportunity to grow, they need to not so much have the tools to grow, but be given the environment in which to grow.
"We need the budget to allow businesses to look to the future with some confidence, they need to be able to invest, they need to make some investment decisions, now those investments decisions could be in machinery, it could be in property, it could be in people, but there's no confidence to do that at the moment."