On Wednesday, I took a rare day off from pub life, social media and my other work and headed to Hemel Hempstead early morning for a golf day with old friends and some big hitters from the world of travel, construction, property, finance, marketing and the art world.
On arrival at the plush Centurian golf club, we were ushered to a lovely breakfast room area where we waited for all the golfers to arrive for the day, there was much catching up to do, as many of us only get to see each other at social events or days like this, due to family and work life taking over much of our free time, seeing your close friends is no easy task these days.
Anyway, over breakfast, many of us were putting the world to rights, as you do, moaning about the current state of affairs from the extortionate tax levels to how dangerous the country has become for our children.
My mates range from tradesmen to successful multi-millionaires, but all have grafted their whole lives to get where they are, none have had it gifted to them on a plate, but the current sense of worry and anger amongst them is so high and to be honest, I'm no different.
Britain's big hitters are fleeing the country after Rachel Reeves' budget and I have the proof, writes Adam Brooks
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The discussion quickly came around to Rachel Reeves and her budget, with a few of the boys in total disbelief at her thinking and her policies to get growth, every one of them said we are going to see a bad recession and that is something I agree on, the prospect of growth now is pie in the sky, almost impossible in my opinion due to my own experience as a small businessman in hospitality right now.
My pub is getting hit for about £20,000 extra on NIC contributions this year due to the budget, another £5000 extra on business rates and approximately £6-7000 in added wages come April. Where does that come from? I'll tell you where.
It comes from increasing my prices and it comes from letting people go or reducing shifts, something that will have dire consequences when hundreds of thousands of companies all do the same. There is simply no other way.
Labour knows this, they know that it means higher inflation numbers and huge job losses. My friend, who owns one of the biggest independent travel companies in the UK, told me that they will not be hiring this year and that people will be let go and simply not replaced, the levels of NIC make it unviable for many and the big boys will need to scale back. So tell me Rachel Reeves, how can that equate to growth?
Another friend is big in marketing, he works with massive clients from all industries but deals with billionaire clients almost weekly, he told me that many were shutting up shop in the UK, it wasn't worth the tax liabilities and the red tape of operating here, so how many jobs does that lose us ?!.. how much tax does that cost the Treasury?.. he gave me some numbers and it will take tens of thousands of ordinary Brits to make up the tax of losing one or two of these individuals.
So, how can we change things? Unless Rachel Reeves does a quick U-turn, that is, unfortunately, impossible.
British big hitters are pulling out or scaling back, others, like my wife's friend are moving out due to safety concerns, either looking at Spain or possibly Dubai.
I can't blame them, I think I'd consider it if I could afford to, as a father of three kids, I am petrified about what this country is becoming, both socially and economically, we possibly have the worst Government at the worst time, I am not sure we can recover after five years of Labour, the rich are getting out, what will be left for us in a few years?
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