NAO pours cold water on red tape bonfire
I've poured scorn on government pledges to slash red tape a number of times before. And it's a drum I'll continue to bang. There's been too much talk and too little action on the issue over the last decade and a half. But why listen to me? Especially when the likes of the National Audit Office are weighing in.
In an interview with the Financial Times today Ed Humpherson, assistant auditor general, says government pledges to cut the red tape burden imposed on business by £4bn, and increase productivity by up to £16bn, is based on numbers that are probably “overcooked” and cannot be relied on.
He adds that the nature of the model used to calculate the £20bn total meant 'you have to be much more wary, much more cautious, and give a haircut to the numbers'.
He doesn't dismiss the figure entirely, however, saying: 'It’s a little bit more [accurate] than simply plucked out of the air'. The praise could hardly be more faint - or more damning.
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