Print companies in plea for help

Printing company bosses are at breaking point because of the legal minefield created by red tape, says Richmond Capital Partners chief executive Paul Holohan.

He says something must be done, and is urging Chancellor Alistair Darling to ease the bureaucratic burden while not increasing business taxes in next week's Pre-Budget Report (PBR).

This is likely to set out the Government's fiscal strategy in the run-up to the election and indicate how it intends to tackle the UK's ballooning public debt.

The PBR is usually a low-key tweaking exercise, but this year is likely to be a backs-to-the-wall attempt to cut back debt without derailing the recovery.

With record annual borrowings in excess of £175 billion, the government has smashed its 40% debt-to-GDP target.

However, while the Tories have said that debt reduction is the priority, Labour believes that tax increases must be delayed until the recovery is well under way.

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