PCG draws up tax battle plans

Jan 22 2008 by Sue Scott, Evening Gazette

FAMILY-run businesses in the Tees Valley could lose out if the Government introduces a new “income shifting” tax.

The Professional Contractors Group (PCG), which represents the UK’s freelancers, has urged them and other small business owners to write to their MPs asking them to sign a Commons early day motion opposing the plan.

“If it is properly supported by MPs, this motion will send a clear signal to the Government that it must rethink its proposals before they inflict disaster on family businesses throughout the UK,” said PCG’s managing director John Brazier.

Family businesses are often owned jointly by family members, who then share any profits equally among themselves, which can often be tax-efficient. The PCG’s e-petition against the measure on the Number 10 website has so far attracted more than 3,000 signatures and is already in the top 100 petitions on the site.