2008 hasn't started well for the government. Notwithstanding the continuing fallout from the HMRC data security scandal and the bailing out of Northern Rock, ministers' commitment to entrepreneurship has come under renewed attack.
Last year's business news was dominated by the controversial capital gains tax reforms - which despite promises still haven't been resolved - as well as continuing complaints over the state of the UK's small business support services.
That condemnation has got even stronger over recent days with the government's own advisors on small business policy launching scathing attacks on Whitehall's attitude towards entrepreneurs.
Sean Taggart, one of the members of the newly created Small Business Forum, took the drastic step of quitting his post hitting out at a system he said has purely become a "tick-box" for a small business agenda which prefers short term headline grabbing actions to long term solutions.
He was backed up by standards setting body SFEDI. Tony Robinson, the group's founder, said, in an extraordinary attack, that the UK's 4.3 million small firms are receiving "peanuts" from a discriminatory government policy.
Just what it is going on? The government currently seems hell-bent on winding up SMEs at the moment. Since the shock announcement of a hike in small business corporation tax in Gordon Brown's last budget as chancellor there has been action after action which has appear to go against ministers' so-called commitment to an enterprise agenda.
Even the efforts that have been started to overcome the huge confusion suffered by small firms looking for official government support were shown this week to so far only have resulted in £3 million being spent on administration costs and just 18 schemes being allocated as "portfolios" which should be considered for not being axed.
What the furore has done though is create a huge sense of cooperation among small business owners, managers and their representatives. Who would have expected the likes of the FPB, BCC and CBI, organisations normally competing for members, to come together on an issue? Well, it happened with the CGT reforms. The same is happening on social networking website Facebook and on the Downing Street site where thousands signed a petition against the reforms.
This Thursday and Friday I'm attending the World Entrepreneurship Summit in central London. The theme of the summit is stimulating sustainable economic development through entrepreneurship, something which of course should and can happen. However, with their actions over the past year or so, the government has not demonstrate a commitment to such a cause.
Let's hope the huge sense of outrage that continues to build up among the small business community changes their mind - and quickly.
Last year's business news was dominated by the controversial capital gains tax reforms - which despite promises still haven't been resolved - as well as continuing complaints over the state of the UK's small business support services.
That condemnation has got even stronger over recent days with the government's own advisors on small business policy launching scathing attacks on Whitehall's attitude towards entrepreneurs.
Sean Taggart, one of the members of the newly created Small Business Forum, took the drastic step of quitting his post hitting out at a system he said has purely become a "tick-box" for a small business agenda which prefers short term headline grabbing actions to long term solutions.
He was backed up by standards setting body SFEDI. Tony Robinson, the group's founder, said, in an extraordinary attack, that the UK's 4.3 million small firms are receiving "peanuts" from a discriminatory government policy.
Just what it is going on? The government currently seems hell-bent on winding up SMEs at the moment. Since the shock announcement of a hike in small business corporation tax in Gordon Brown's last budget as chancellor there has been action after action which has appear to go against ministers' so-called commitment to an enterprise agenda.
Even the efforts that have been started to overcome the huge confusion suffered by small firms looking for official government support were shown this week to so far only have resulted in £3 million being spent on administration costs and just 18 schemes being allocated as "portfolios" which should be considered for not being axed.
What the furore has done though is create a huge sense of cooperation among small business owners, managers and their representatives. Who would have expected the likes of the FPB, BCC and CBI, organisations normally competing for members, to come together on an issue? Well, it happened with the CGT reforms. The same is happening on social networking website Facebook and on the Downing Street site where thousands signed a petition against the reforms.
This Thursday and Friday I'm attending the World Entrepreneurship Summit in central London. The theme of the summit is stimulating sustainable economic development through entrepreneurship, something which of course should and can happen. However, with their actions over the past year or so, the government has not demonstrate a commitment to such a cause.
Let's hope the huge sense of outrage that continues to build up among the small business community changes their mind - and quickly.
