Encouragement for manufacturing sector following Budget

By MHA

27 Mar 2013

Website

Ginni Cooper, head of Moore and Smalley’s manufacturing team, discusses George Osborne's recent Budget announcement.

Before the chancellor rose to his feet at the dispatch box last week, my personal wish list had called on him to the ease the burden on manufacturers.

It seems that my wishes have, in part, been answered as I think most manufacturers would regard the 2013 Budget as being another step in the right direction.

The message coming loud and clear from George Osborne was that he wants Britain to be seen by UK plc, and the wider international community, as a place to invest. And despite being a fiscally neutral budget, new measures were announced that will provide encouragement to manufacturing firms.

Breaking down barriers to recruitment

While the cut in corporation tax to 20 per cent from 2015 was widely expected, the chancellor also addressed one of the biggest burdens to recruitment for manufacturing businesses by offering to pay the first £2,000 of an employer’s NICs, regardless of business size.

The corporation tax cut places the UK at the top of the league for mainstream tax rates within the G7 countries and will help manufacturers compete more evenly with established low tax countries.

For new companies, the 2013 Budget confirmed the partial extension of the ‘CGT holiday’ within the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme, which has been a catalyst for investment start-ups.

Further tax reliefs announced

The Budget also confirmed some minor changes to the final proposed forms of a number of tax reliefs which go live from 1 April 2013 including the ‘above the line’ R&D tax relief and the creative sector tax reliefs.

It’s worth taking another look at the generous range of tax reliefs the UK now has which can substantially reduce the cost of new product development:A patent box which reduces the tax rate charged on a broad range of income derived from patents to 10 per cent.R&D tax reliefs on qualifying expenditure incurred for SMEs at 225 per cent and large companies at 130 per cent.R&D tax credits for both loss making SMEs and also loss making large companies who can now receive a credit based equivalent to 10 per cent of their “above the line” R&D expenditure.The Budget also confirmed the short term increase in the Annual Investment Allowance to £250,000 for each of the 2013 and 2014 calendar years.

Welcome commitments were also made to increase the access to funding for SMEs through the UK’s new Business Bank and an additional £300m investment funding programme. The Business Bank was one of the things I really wanted to see move forward because, so far, it would be hard to argue that the Funding for Lending scheme has delivered any tangible funding benefits to manufacturers.  

Enjoyed this? Read more from MHA

Latest news

1

Inspired plc acquired by HGGC Inspired logo

Inspired plc acquired by HGGC

19 Aug 2025

2

Lancashire uniform provider acquired in £12.5m deal Trutex images

Lancashire uniform provider acquired in £12.5m deal

19 Aug 2025

3

Burnley aircraft firm sees profits soar Safran Nacelles

Burnley aircraft firm sees profits soar

19 Aug 2025

4

Lancashire marina bought by Aquavista Fettlers Wharf Marina

Lancashire marina bought by Aquavista

18 Aug 2025

5

Work starts on new business units at Enterprise Zone Danny Pinkus Cllr Mark Smith and Robert Pinkus at Phase Two Of Enterprise Court

Work starts on new business units at Enterprise Zone

15 Aug 2025

Background image for hub sign up block

LBV Hub

Leverage Lancashire Business View platforms

Post your news
Post your events
Post your offers
Build your network
Improve your SEO
Gain coverage in the magazine
Sign-up
Events
Sub36 Networking - Follow the signs
Sub36 Deaf Village Social1200
Networking
17 Sep 2025

Sub36 Networking - Follow the signs

The Deaf Village, Blackburn, BB2 5EN

10:00 - 12:00

CMI Level 5 Management and Leadership Course
UCLanAerialCampus.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
21 Feb 2025 - 21 Feb 2026

CMI Level 5 Management and Leadership Course

Preston Campus, Preston , PR1 2HE

09:00 - 17:00

CMI Level 5 Project Management Course
UCLanAerialCampus.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
21 Feb 2025 - 21 Feb 2026

CMI Level 5 Project Management Course

Preston Campus, Preston, PR1 2HE

08:00 - 17:00

The Business Network Central & East Lancashire
LBV Header (24).png.png
LBV Hub Networking
21 Aug 2025 - 21 Aug 2025

The Business Network Central & East Lancashire

Mytton Fold, Langho, BB6 8AB

11:30 - 14:15

Morecambe Bay Walk
Walk.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Awards
30 Aug 2025 - 30 Aug 2025

Morecambe Bay Walk

Arnside, CARNFORTH, LA5

09:30 - 14:00

Tri-Site Survey Equipment Showcase
Linkedin Cover.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Seminars
03 Sep 2025 - 03 Sep 2025

Tri-Site Survey Equipment Showcase

Harewood House , Leeds, LS17 9LG

09:30 - 16:00

Longridge Soap Box Derby
Screenshot 2025-06-10 090035.png.png
LBV Hub Fundraisers
14 Sep 2025 - 14 Sep 2025

Longridge Soap Box Derby

Berry Lane, Longridge, PR3 3WH

10:00 - 16:30

Preston Tech Connection - The Ultimate Tech Quiz!
Preston Tech Connection Sept 25.png.png
LBV Hub Networking
16 Sep 2025 - 16 Sep 2025

Preston Tech Connection - The Ultimate Tech Quiz!

Society1, Coworking Space, Preston, PR1 3LT

18:00 - 19:00

Cumbria Business Expo 2025
https---cdn.evbuc.com-images-880461633-4862066883-1-original.20241022-110415.jpeg.jpg
LBV Hub Exhibitions
19 Sep 2025 - 19 Sep 2025

Cumbria Business Expo 2025

Carlisle Racecourse, Carlisle, CA2 4TS

09:00 - 15:00

Preston Freelancer Meet-Up: September
Sept Freelancer (1).png.png
LBV Hub Networking
23 Sep 2025 - 23 Sep 2025

Preston Freelancer Meet-Up: September

Society1, Coworking Space, Preston, PR1 3LT

10:00 - 11:30

Speed Networking with BNI
2.png.png
LBV Hub Networking
24 Sep 2025 - 24 Sep 2025

Speed Networking with BNI

Chorley Football Club, Chorley, PR7 3DU

16:00 - 19:00

Help to grow management course
Help to grow - barriers to growth.png.png
LBV Hub Seminars
26 Sep 2025 - 16 Dec 2025

Help to grow management course

Preston Campus , Preston , PR1 2HE

09:00 - 15:00

Advertise with us

Reaching 50,000 members, our print, digital and event platforms offer a fantastic way to raise your business profile and help you grow.

Find out more LBV 123 Online Graphic
Subscribe now

Weekly news bulletin