FSB Wales in conversation with:
Reform UK
1. How would your party ensure that small businesses are genuinely placed at the centre of Welsh Government decision-making and policy development?
We will consult with businesses to reform the tax regime. Reform believes in the parity of vocational and university education, with strong employer partnerships and clear routes into apprenticeships.
A new Minister for Industry will be tasked with designing a full Welsh industrial strategy built around secure affordable energy, working with businesses to achieve lower costs and a growing economy.
1. What measures would your party introduce to revitalise Wales’s struggling high streets?
Reform will review the business rates regime to design a fairer, more pro-growth system, scrap Plaid and Labour's Tourism Tax and lower the 182-day threshold for holiday lets in consultation with the industry.
We will also give people more disposable income to spend on our high streets by cutting income tax.
2. What actions would your party take to boost SME productivity across Wales?
Reform will prioritise procurement with local firms wherever possible, requiring proof of value for money when contracting further afield, amending legislation to remove 'social value' requirements.
Our goal is to reduce the tax burden for businesses and to substantially cut regulations and bureaucracy, which has been too high under Plaid and Labour.
3. What specific policies would your party implement to reduce the rising costs of doing business for SMEs in Wales?
Reform will undertake a thorough review of all Welsh Government regulations to assess whether they are necessary, proportionate, and fit for purpose.
Regulations that cannot be clearly justified on grounds of public safety or demonstrable public benefit will be repealed or simplified. New regulations will have sunset clauses.
4. What commitments would your party make to prioritise skills-led economic growth for SMEs in Wales?
Reform will expand technical education and apprenticeships as well as enacting a rural apprenticeships scheme to support the agricultural sector.
We will work with employers to align skills with the demands of the Welsh economy, with a focus on trades.
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Please note the above information was submitted by Reform UK headquarters on behalf of the Party.