Suffolk business owner calls for stability ahead of the Spring Budget
Jeremey Hunt will be revealing the budget today
The owner of cocktail company in Suffolk's telling us what he wants to hear from the Chancellor in his Spring Budget.
Not too much is known about what Chancellor Jeremy Hunt will include in today's budget announcement, but he is expected to cut national insurance by 2p.
That would save the average worker around £450 a year.
"Hospitality is crying out for it"
Rob Brakewell owns Niche Cocktails in Woodbridge, and says cutting that VAT would be a lifeline for the hospitality sector.
According to the government website, if you supply "food and non-alcoholic beverages for consumption on your premises" for example, a restaurant, café or pub, you’re currently "required to charge VAT at the standard rate of 20%."
Rob recalled how the government reduced VAT from 17.5% to 15% in December of 2008 in response to the late-2000s which "inspired a lot of spending in the economy."
He would like to see some kind of decrease to "encourage the consumer to have a bit more confidence to go and spend the money they've got."
He told us he'd also like to see something done to control inflation, as his business and "businesses alike" are seeing the "cost of goods going up - something we have very little control over."
In regards to National Insurance going down he feels it would be "a fairer way of reducing an income tax" because it means that "people who are actually working, benefit from it as opposed to an income tax cut."
Overall he is hoping to have "a fun, growing, aspirational country again.
"It feels like we've been going through a dark time and I hope we come out of that as soon as possible."