Business interest groups are jostling for influence over political parties’ priorities before the 4 July election. Here are some of the big ideas being touted by the UK’s largest industry bodies in their own manifestos.
Workplace savings schemes
The Building Societies Association has been calling for the introduction of a workplace savings scheme that would help build up the financial resilience of UK households. Currently, 14 million people have less than £100 in savings – and 9 million have no savings at all, according to the Money and Pensions Service.
Under the scheme, a set amount of savings would be deducted directly from payrolls by companies with more than 250 staff, similar to the way pensions work today. The BSA is not asking for tax-free treatment or matching contribution from employers, in the hope of making the programme as simple and speedy as possible.
Boost sick pay
The Association of British Insurers is calling for more generous laws that would boost sick pay, provide it from the first day of leave and extend the scheme to lower earners. The ABI also wants the next government to provide sick pay for people returning to work with reduced hours, and to ensure self-employed people also receive support.
Currently, only workers classed as employees – rather than freelancers or contractors – are eligible, and they must earn an average of at least £123 a week. Those who qualify receive up to £116.75 a week for up to 28 weeks, minus the first three days.
The ABI says small and medium-sized businesses should also be refunded for statutory sick pay costs if they provide effective health services and return-to-work support. Together, these policies could not only boost productivity across the UK economy but also reduce health and protection payouts by specialist insurers and boost take-up of insurer-supplied health and wellness services.
Make big tech and social media pay for fraud
The City lobby group UK Finance is calling on the next government to bring in scams legislation that forces big tech and social media companies to contribute up to £40m a year to reimburse customers and fight fraud on their platforms.
That would include a new fraud and scams bill to consolidate a current voluntary scheme where tech firms agree to reduce fraud through their platforms and services.
UK Finance also wants online platforms, internet service providers and tech companies to be covered by the economic crime levy, forcing them to pay towards the cost of tackling economic crime and reimbursing victims of fraud. At present, most of the cost of reimbursing fraud victims falls to banks.
Government-appointed AI champion for small and medium-sized businesses
The British Chambers of Commerce says that while AI can help level the playing field for smaller businesses, most do not understand how to make the most out of the technology and feel vulnerable to new threats including cyber-attacks.
It is now pushing for the next government to create a “framework of trust”, including through a new AI programme and the appointment of an AI champion that would support digital skills and development in small to medium-sized enterprises.
“A new government must provide the right support to businesses to make the most of these radical advancements and no small business should feel left behind. An AI champion, introduced by a new government, will ensure that is not the case,” the BCC said
Ban smart motorways
The AA is calling on politicians to scrap what it says is “the failed experiment of ‘smart’ motorways”, which were originally intended as a way to ease congestion without spending money on widening roads, by using what was previously a hard shoulder – or breakdown lane – for regular traffic.
The AA believes the hard shoulder should be reinstated, saying a third of drivers currently avoid using the inside lane due to fear that broken-down vehicles may be ahead, and emergency vehicles now struggle to get to crashes due to severe congestion.
Make the annual budget a fixed date in the political calendar
To revitalise the economy, the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) is proposing three pillars of fiscal policy reform. First, use net worth of the public sector as a target of public policy, which would provide a better measure of the sustainability of public debt.
Second, discount the amount of public infrastructure investment from the way the government measures the deficit, ensuring it is separated out from day-to-day spending. Third, make the budget, and other fiscal events, fixed dates in the calendar. This would ensure budgets are not influenced by the short-termism of party politics, or goals such as winning elections.