By Anna Jordan on Small Business UK - Advice and Ideas for UK Small Businesses and SMEs
The Government is closing the Help to Grow: Digital scheme so applications for a software discount must be made before February 2, 2023.
Discounts issued for eligible software need to be used within 30 days of issue date.
Help to Grow: Digital was set up in January 2022 to help struggling SMEs. It was designed to give 100,000 businesses free and impartial advice on how technology can help their firms along with vouchers of up to £5,000 to get a maximum 50 per cent discount on pre-approved software. Even after a marketing campaign, extending eligibility and positive feedback from existing users, fewer than 1,000 vouchers were redeemed by SMEs.
Due to the lower-than-expected take-up, the Government can’t justify the cost of keeping the scheme going. The decision has been taken to ‘refocus efforts towards other support mechanisms for small businesses,’ according to the BEIS.
The Help to Grow: Management scheme will remain in place.
FSB policy chair, Tina McKenzie, said: “This decision creates a vacuum in public policy tech adoption. If this is cancelled, what is the Government’s plan to boost digital productivity? The Government is already proposing downgrading the high take-up R&D tax credits which have been a lifeline to so many small firms, rolling back on its own policy successes.
“Removing the Help to Grow: Digital scheme on top of that smacks of a Government that is doing nothing more than carving an anti-growth legacy for itself.”
See also: Small business spent £24bn on R&D last year
How much is the Help to Grow: Digital discount worth?
Eligible businesses will receive one financial discount towards the purchase of one approved software product up to a maximum of £5,000 (not including VAT) for customer relationship management, digital accounting software or eCommerce products.
The financial discount covers 12 months’ worth of approved software product core costs, exclusive of VAT.
Who offers eCommerce software?
Who offers CRM software?
Who offers accounting software?
Read more about Help to Grow: Digital
Help to Grow: Digital – how can it help my business?
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Anna Jordan, Khareem Sudlow
