During the pandemic we have seen how the financial playing field has shifted. TSB are acting like profiteering opportunists on the back of what is a truly for critical time for the public and they have done so by raising the monthly fees for overdraft accounts. As a customer of TSB, a £1400 overdraft one is now expected to pay £40pcm with none of the charge going toward reducing the debt. Secondly they still owe the public all the tax money that was used to bail them out. This petition is an opportunity for TSB to act with some respect for the conditions we are facing today.

This money can be used for more crucial aspect of businesses especially in desperate times with no incoming funds.

The UK Chancellor announced in March that all retail businesses would be given a business rates holiday for 12 months in order to help businesses who were in trouble because of COVID. Supermarkets, have seen sales rise and have all made increased profits during during UK lockdown periods. On 4 December, 6 of our largest supermarket chains (Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Morrisons, Lidl and Aldi) agreed to pay back the government Covid-related support they received earlier this year (a total of almost £1.81bn) Waitrose have so far refused to follow suit. Legally they have the right to choose to retain this money, but they cannot justify the decision in the grounds that their business was in trouble because of Covid.

As austerity simply hasn't worked and never will work. The last 10 years of cuts to public services has been pointless due to this economic crisis we currently face. What is the point of austerity if we have no idea how long round the corner the next finacial crash is. Hard working people should not have to pay the price and carry the burden of a virus nobody asked for.

As it stands a business can only get a bounce back loan or top up a bounce back loan to the value of 25% of 2019’s turnover, at the beginning of this awful pandemic no one thought we would still be in lockdowns at this stage of proceedings, small businesses like myself who are a one director company need to access these funds to stay afloat, but apparently once you have had the 25% there are no more accessible funds, this needs upgrading so that small individual businesses can access desperate funding, also businesses with premises have had grants no repayable and other small businesses with no premises have had no grants what so ever. It’s important as sole traders and small LTD company’s keep towns and local areas supported with there services and offer job opportunities to local people in the community, a lot of small local businesses will go under if extra funding is not made available,

At this time of the pandemic there must be many people resorting to using credit cards and really are being ripped off. Credit card companies must be making huge profits at the expense of the public's difficulties during these times

The BBLS is fantastic and will certainly save thousands of jobs and businesses if they can access it of course. The fact of the matter is the treasury has told the banks to lend but you have to have an account with the accredited bank. They won’t let you have one. The business is eligible great but that doesn’t mean the bank will give you an account to have the loan. How does that work ? I like 300,000 other businesses can’t access the scheme have been told no new applications or declined for an account not the loan just the account . If the treasury doesn’t open the doors directly we might as well close the business now. This isn’t going to happen the treasury know the problem but won’t act instead just leave it to the banks to decide our fate. Why won’t anyone do anything

The Country, and indeed the world, is currently facing a catastrophic pandemic that is causing not only death on a massive scale but also higher levels of unemployment and job loss that have not been seen since the recession in 2008. The current Stamp Duty holiday, whilst currently creating a boom in the housing market, is set to cause a bottleneck in March 2021 with the end of the furlough scheme and the end of the Help to Buy Equity Loan for anyone who is not a First Time Buyer. Not only will this bottleneck cause agents and lawyers to exceed their capacity more than they already have (leading to potential indemnity insurance claims when some individuals do not complete before the end of the Stamp Duty holiday) but it will worsen an expected dip in the market in the second quarter of 2021. It is vital that the Stamp Duty holiday be extended to allow the market to recover naturally whilst a vaccine is introduced and people return to work (for their old employers or new).

This is important because of our future is dying

Small businesses in retail, hospitality, leisure and entertainment sectors, are bearing the brunt of lock down measures. On the run into Christmas, they will be pushed to the edge. Elsewhere some very large companies will be raking it in, and sucking up the expendable money in the economy. At the same time some opportunist businesses are making large profits from tax payer funded public services. Government has introduced some measures to help businesses, their employees and the self-employed, but without further spending it is unlikely to be enough to save many small and medium sized businesses and the employees that depend on them. When the money borrowed by Government needs to be repaid, a business as usual approach to taxation will see an increased burden on all of us, whether that be through increased taxation, or poorer public services. It only seems fair that the largest companies, who will make the biggest profits during the Pandemic, should bear a greater proportion of that burden of taxation.

The government is heavily focused on job retention and the furlough scheme, of which there is no doubt is beneficial to employees and is keeping the unemployment figures down. However, without adequate and realistic financial support many businesses will not survive the pressures which the COVID-19 restrictions are placing upon them. Many of these employees will find there are no jobs for them to return to without the government offering realistic support to the businesses employing them. The grants being offered at present will not even cover the rents or mortgages on many of the premises occupied by these businesses. Being the owner of a small rural public house (rateable value under £51,000) I can tell you that £500 a week is not covering my £800 a week rent let alone the insurance, electric and rental contracts, etc (which have no interest in pandemics) all which require paying. I am now extremely worried for the future of a business which I have worked hard to build up. It has been in the family for almost 30 years. We are self-employed operators who are not eligible for very much by way of self-employment support as we don't make much from the business by way of profits. So the pressure is now building as we are unsure how long we can continue. This not only puts the livelihoods of myself, partner and children at risk but the 10 local people who we employ. I beg this to be looked at as a matter of urgency as we are only a very small representation of the country and there are countless others in our situation.

Paying annually financially rewards those that are capable of paying road tax as an annual lump sum. There is no doubt a large number of people who can't afford to pay the annual fee upfront; so opt for the 6 month option. Why are these people, who are financially less able, penalised into paying a larger total annual sum? Changing this practice, of charging more to those who can least afford it, needs to STOP! This systemic bias which financially penalises the poorer in society needs to be abolished. The systems and decisions that continue to widen financial inequalities need to be rooted out in all industries and organisations. This type of financial penalisation of the poorer members of our society is rife practice in many companies. The government should lead by example and put an end to this practice!