Speaking from the House of Commons, Ms. Ritchie said: “The UK Chancellor has made a virtue of claiming to be supporting small and medium sized businesses. However, no attempt seems to have been made to review the current approval criteria to create a simplified import VAT accounting scheme. “I am regularly told by local business people that the current arrangements are a major impediment for imports and that there is the need for urgent reform. It was worrying that the Chancellor did not seem to be aware of this problem and I eagerly await his letter in response to my question. “The Chancellor may think he has ended the recession but that is not the message I am getting from local businesses who are crying out for more measures to encourage growth.”]]>