Who Are We Voting For?

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Paul Hargreaves

Chief executive of Cotswold Fayre

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I am not going to make the mistake of pushing one particular party over another with the General Election pending, but do we think of our businesses when voting?

Or do we simply go with the party we’ve always voted for?

Personally, I don’t always go for the same choice. I have voted for four different parties over the last four elections, for different reasons every time. Many of us live in areas with long-established political parties where, in the past, it may have seemed like our vote counted for little. However, this time it seems that things could be different –  there are far more marginal constituencies than ever before, due to the emergence of the Liberal Democrats.

So, what are the things to consider when casting our vote, in terms of the food and drink industry?

Government funding – Well, the first major issue for food producers over the last couple of years has been the withdrawal of funding for both domestic and international markets. The food and drink industry is remarkably under-resourced when compared to other sectors. I haven’t heard any politician say that their party is committed to resourcing the industry again, so this issue may be one that you may want to ask your local candidates about.

Distribution costs – These are rising massively again and are up to the peak levels last seen in 2008. I don’t think any party is going to reduce fuel duty, but rather than this money sinking into propping up the national debt, it would be good to see some of it used to resource a future away from fossil fuels – allowing us to enjoy the same variety of food in 20, 50 or even 100 years time. There is a sad lack of initiative from any of the major parties on this issue.

National Insurance increase – The Tories have been making a big play on this so-called ‘tax on jobs’ and this is probably an issue that some of us feel strongly about. This is a 9% increase in NI, not a 1% increase, and 18% if you both employ people and are employed (like me). However, the economy is in a mess and the money has to come from somewhere, but penalising SMEs – which are the heart-beat of a thriving economy – may not be the brightest move.

VAT increase – No party has got much to say on this, but I think it is fairly clear that any new government would increase this to 20% in the not too distant future. This will instantly out-date our Christmas catalogue, which is going to the printers this week. More seriously, they may increase VAT from zero to either 17.5% or 20% on food items that currently have no VAT, which would have a much more serious impact on our industry.

Trident – I thought I would leave the most controversial issue to last, and this is one I will express my opinion on. How can spending huge amounts of money on weapons that we will never use be a sensible thing to do with the economy in the state it is in at present. With this money alone a significant proportion of our debt could be wiped out, and small business also resourced. This is the issue that has caused thousands of younger voters to swing towards the Liberal Democrats. Perhaps the other two parties should listen to that call.

Have a profitable week!