Business Finance - Euro - no problem.
Despite all the electioneering, most SMEs aren't worried about the UK adopting the single European currency
More than one in three directors and senior managers in British SMEs believe adoption of the euro would have no impact on their profitability, a survey by online advisers is4profit.com shows. A further 22% believe joining the euro would benefit their bottom line, while only 16% felt it would have negative consequences for profits. Brian Jack, managing director of is4profit.com, said: ‘It’s clear to us that no matter what the politicians might say, euro membership currently holds no fear for the majority of small businesses.’
More information of this study can be found at is4profit.com
The government’s Small Business Service has announced its intention to introduce a single national register for consultants by April 2002. There will be national criteria that all consultants must meet, and only organisations approved by the SBS will be allowed to assess consultants for entry on to the register.
More information is available at www.sbs.gov.uk/press43.asp
Prudential has teamed up with ADP and Moorepay to provide a solution for the payment and administration of stakeholder pensions direct from payroll. The move follows research which revealed up to 65,500 SMEs believe their payroll and admin systems have difficulty in coping with the added administrative work of stakeholder pensions.
For more information log on to www.pru-stakeholder.co.uk
Nine out of ten of small businesses believe the overall red tape burden will increase over the next year, according to a survey by Kingston Smith. Almost half of businesses were not confident that they were complying with employment regulations and believed employment red tape would inhibit their plans for expansion.
For further details go to www.kingsmith.co.uk
Eight pilot areas have been chosen for the first unmetered flat rate internet service for SMEs. BusinessSurf Rate Access, launched by Business Serve, has been initially launched in London, the South-East, Manchester, Liverpool, Bradford and Leeds and will roll out into other areas during 2001. More than 80% of its 30,000 plus clients, who spend an average 15 hours per month online during work hours, will save 50% on current internet costs.
Details can be found at www.businessserve.co.uk
Send business finance news to Lois Fettis at news@accountancyage.com.
