We tried to “fix the UK” in one episode. No party lines—just two business owners pulling apart VAT thresholds, corp tax tiers, NI on jobs, apprenticeships, R&D claims and business rates. If you’re stuck under the VAT threshold, scared of getting tax wrong, or avoiding hires because the system’s a maze… this is for you.🇬🇧 Simple changes that would actually help SMEs grow💼 NI holidays + hiring incentives that make sense🧾 VAT & corp tax simplification (and why tiers trap you)🧪 R&D & training reliefs—how to make them usable🤖 Could an AI Chancellor design a fairer system?Chapters00:00 Cold open: flags, polarisation & how to talk about it02:46 Why we fixate on “our hill” and ignore other views04:45 Tax: pride in paying vs spending well06:10 UK tax is 21,000+ pages—why complexity kills growth08:45 VAT thresholds, corp tax tiers & perverse incentives12:10 Small firms fear “getting tax wrong” (and skip reliefs)15:25 Education gap: why founders aren’t taught any of this18:05 R&D claims: useful… but a racket?21:30 Hiring Brits: NI holidays for grads & long-term unemployed24:20 Train your team: 150% relief idea for real upskilling26:40 VAT tapering vs flat VAT vs raising the threshold28:30 Business rates & why scaling gets punished31:00 Dividends vs PAYE, risk vs rights (founder reality)35:20 Could an AI Chancellor design policy without politics?39:10 Wrap: simple rules → more growth → more tax revenueLinks🎧 Listen on Spotifyhttps://open.spotify.com/show/4uqUUHL0KUZL2m9dLx9JvO📺 Watch all episodes https://www.youtube.com/@BritishBusinessPodcast🌐 Follow Matthttps://linktr.ee/mrmattholland🌐 Follow Tomhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-mcilvenny-b15b9555/🎙 Morgan / Studiohttps://cheshirepodcaststudio.com