The future of thousands of small firms and sole traders across the UK are being threatened by surging operating costs, high tax burdens and struggles to fill vacancies.
That is according to the latest quarterly Small Business Index (SBI) from the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB).
The SBI reported that one in seven, or 15%, of small business owners said they plan to consolidate, close or sell their firms in the coming year in light of cost pressures, nose-diving exports and skills shortages.
