FSB urges government to provide Brexit transition vouchers

08 Sep 2020

The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has urged the government to provide small businesses with Brexit transition vouchers as the latest round of withdrawal talks commences.

The business group called for government Brexit negotiators to agree a small business-friendly deal 'swiftly'. It said that currently the draft terms of the EU deal don't contain a dedicated small business chapter outlining how the deal will benefit firms of all sizes.

The FSB said that the government needs to step in with 'substantial financial support' to assist with Brexit transition preparations, given that small firms have been 'flat out' managing coronavirus-linked disruption for the past six months.

Commenting on the matter, Mike Cherry, National Chairman of the FSB, said: 'The transition period will soon be at an end but the small firms that make up 99% of our business community still have no clear sense of what they'll be transitioning to.

'The economy is in a very different place today compared to the last time we were told to prepare for a no-deal outcome. Small firms don't have the time or money to get across new bureaucracy or stockpile.'