Caroline Lucas

Green Party leader, and Brighton Pavilion candidate, Caroline Lucas will outline Green Party policies to promote small businesses when she speaks at a candidates' hustings.

Ms Lucas said:
“Greens have been championing small businesses for years and I welcome the opportunity to present our ideas in such an important forum.

“Among the comprehensive range of policies we are advocating is a simplification of PAYE and to merge National Insurance into income Tax. We will also reduce corporation tax to 20% for small firms, and increase it to 30% for large ones. We will promote green investment banks and concentrate on rebuilding the country's manufacturing base.

"We also want to amend planning laws to allow appropriate small businesses to operate in residential areas and ensure all large new retail developments include spaces for small local businesses.

“Small businesses should be at the heart of our economic recovery, but they are severely hampered by red tape. We will offer help to cope with the regulations and provide tailored advice on energy efficiency. We'll also end the rules which make it difficult for those on benefit to take on part time work – this move will make more people available to work for small firms, and will help people into work. We're also proposing to create a million new jobs in environmental industries. I look forward to presenting these and debating them with other candidates.”

The hustings, organised by the East Sussex Region of the Federation of Small Businesses, will take place at the Ambassador Hotel, New Steine on Wednesday April 21 at 6 pm.

For more information about the Greens view:
www.brightonhovegreens.org