JUNE TRADE NEWS Manchester businesses look to council help to thrive Wholesaler praises local retailer Three convicted of selling fake goods on eBay Retailers rejoice as Tesco planning application is rejected Haul of illegal lighters seized by Trading Standards Canterbury MP pledges to fight illegal street traders Retailers report June slowdown Retailers welcome Edinburgh redevelopment approval Government to improve Cornish infrastructure eBay asks EU to look at online trading rules Tesco criticised over misleading planning application Chester's council looks to save city-centre retailers US firm gets tough on eBay counterfeiters Wholesalers report slowing sales in first quarter Government looks to extend Sunday openings for garden centres Merseyside bridge tolls worry small firms Retailers 'have shielded consumers from price rises' HMRC cutbacks 'could hurt small firms' Retail sales surge in the UK New Scottish unit looks to tackle rogue traders Welsh men face court for selling fake goods in eBay FPB backs Lords criticism of business tax changes Government urged not to add to retail pressure Small firms urged to continue to network Consumers plan to continue to buy clothes Retail sales in London soar Consumers 'still spending on green items' Businesses worried about sales in the coming months FSB blasts government agency workers deal NI retailers urged to tackle shoplifters Scottish SMEs told to use internet to reach global market Workplace stress 'hits small businesses hard' Lords say businesses hurt by tax changes Rail transport services 'could become cheaper for wholesalers' Organisers 'need to make sure SMEs get involved with 2012 projects' Consumer confidence plummets, hitting retail spending Manchester congestion charge 'could be bad news for small businesses' Retail sales recover in May Cambridgeshire business protest higher parking charges Women start small businesses to increase flexibility BRC calls for end to EU anti-dumping tariffs BRC welcomes interest rate decision eBay guilty of selling counterfeit goods Retailers not passing on 'full impact' of rising costs Dream of being own boss can 'blind people' to business difficulties BCC determined to boost success of sole traders and startups Independent retailers help Wrexham become 'top shopping town' Online retail sector continues to boom Business startups can benefit from relocating Birmingham urged to help smaller retailers Walsall developer backs Dragon's Den style competition Trade News Archive June 08 May 08 April 08 March 08 February 08 January 08 Subscribe to our newsletter   Go to The Wholesaler UK Directory 20th June 2008 HMRC cutbacks 'could hurt small firms' Small businesses in the UK could be adversely affected by plans to cut the number of tax offices in the UK, a leading pressure group has warned. The Forum of Private Business (FPB) said that the move to reduce HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) staff from 12,300 to 9,150 could lead to costly delays in how taxation issues for small firms are dealt with. According to the FPB, many small firms find dealing with tax "a major headache". It noted that more than nine million tax returns were issued between 2006 and 2007. The organisation warned that staff and office cut backs could add to the confusion some small businesses feel when filling in tax returns. "While we can all applaud the cost-cutting exercise, HMRC will need to be careful that the reduction of staff, in particular, does not affect the service offered to smaller businesses," said the FPB's policy representative, Matt Goodman. "The demands of running a small business are enough without waiting weeks for your tax papers to make it to the top of the pile." Recently, the House of Lords criticised the business tax changes that were introduced in the Budget.   (c) 2008 Adfero Ltd.   Comment on this news story To comment on any story please click on the above link, put the story title in the subject line and please provide your name, trading style ie. retailer or wholesaler and the town where you trade.