Red tape reduction drive fails to convince businesses
NAO survey struggles to find anyone who thinks administrative burdens have eased
Complying with business regulations has become no easier, a study by the
National Audit Office has found.
Despite a drive to reduce the administrative burden on businesses by a
quarter by 2010, the NAO’s survey found that almost no-one thought compliance
had become easier, while a third believed it had worsened.
Amyas Morse, head of the National Audit Office, said: “There is always a
difference between perception and reality but our testing shows that almost no
businesses think that complying with regulation has become easier or less time
consuming in the last year. The majority think that things have remained the
same and over a third think that the burden of regulation has got worse. On the
other hand, 42 per cent of businesses think that government is getting the right
balance of regulation to protect people and the environment.”
Further reading:
Complying
with regulation – business perceptions survey 2009
http://www.nao.org.uk/publications/0809/complying_with_regulation.aspx
