Budget

Northern Ireland business groups have broadly welcomed Budget 2013 although concerns remain over the country's rising unemployment figures.

Business groups have broadly welcomed Chancellor George Osborne's Budget 2013 measures, which included an employer's allowance for national insurance contributions.

Measures to help individuals get onto the housing ladder and an acceleration in the tax-free personal allowance increase were among the personal finance highlights in Chancellor George Osborne's 2013 Budget.

A new allowance for employers' National Insurance contributions and an accelerated reduction in corporation tax to 20 per cent from April 2015 were some of the key announcements for businesses in Chancellor George Osborne's Budget 2013.

The Chancellor George Osborne has now delivered his 2013 Budget speech to the House of Commons. Read our summary of the headline announcements.

George Osborne will deliver his fiscal plans for the year ahead against stalling economic growth, which remains well below pre-2008 levels. We take a look at what businesses and consumers want from the Chancellor's fourth Budget announcement.

Rising business rates are the biggest concern for small firms amongst changes to the current tax system, a survey by the Forum of Private Business (FPB) has found.

Greater opportunities for economic growth, investment, job creation and business confidence are amongst the proposals being put forward by Northern Ireland business groups ahead of the Chancellor's Budget later this month.

Two leading business groups have called on the Chancellor to scrap the 2.6 per cent rise in business rates planned for April.