PR Week Echo Columns

Four leading business organisations united over a single issue for only the third time when they lobbied the Treasury to reconsider its plans to introduce a flat-rate Capital Gains Tax from April 2008. Led by CBI boss Richard Lambert, the IOD, BCC and FSB (Federation of Small Businesses) moved swiftly to voice their concerns on behalf of small-business owners and entrepreneurs facing an 80% increase in their tax bill. "Flip-flopping Darling … failed to hit private equity and injured Britain's entrepreneurial base instead" according to Daily Telegraph City Editor Damian Reece (21 Oct), whose paper's online petition boasted 13,000 signatures compared to the Mail's 1,000.

Digby Jones, former DG of the CBI and now Trade & Investment Minister, was accused of failing to "put his head above the parapet" on the issue according to Stephen Alambritis, FSB's Head of Parliamentary Affairs (Mail on Sunday, 21 Oct). The talks between the lobby group leaders and Alistair Darling were variously described as "constructive" (Guardian), "cordial rather than friendly" (FT) and "tense" (Daily Mail) - all 23 Oct - but seemed to hold little hope of a direct result other than to encourage the Government to find other ways to stimulate enterprise while owners rush to sell off their businesses before the April 2008 deadline.