National insurance tops the ten biggest Budget concerns for smaller firms in Wiltshire, according to a survey.

Nick Goulding, chief executive of the Forum of Private Business (FPB), said this concern was well known to the Government

He said: "The chancellor can see that it is still the number one issue.

"Scrapping the increase is a simple, straightforward measure which would help all businesses in the current economic climate."

The Budget will be announced on Wednesday.

The forum asked members to list their top 10 Budget concerns. They were:

1. Scrap the increase in NI contributions: To boost competitiveness and enterprise the Chancellor must relieve businesses of what is considered a direct increase in the cost of employment.

2. Direct measures to reduce red tape: Red tape has been in the top three key concerns of FPB members for the past three years.

3. Uniform Business rates: Should be levied according to size of business rather than size of premises.

4. Integrate National Insurance (NI) and PAYE: Ease the burden of administering parallel sets of regulations.

5. Abolish Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT): The ability of businesses to make significant savings by expanding or moving into new and more efficient business premises is of paramount importance to growing businesses. The fact that SDLT penalises this process undermines the Government's commitment to boost productivity.

6. Inheritance Tax Reduction: Inheritance tax has proved to be a prolonged burden on employers wishing to pass on their business.

7. Reduction in Capital Gains Tax: Business owners depend more on the transferring of their business for retirement purposes than they do on pensions. Currently, when the business owner comes to sell the business they are heavily taxed and therefore their planned retirement fund is depleted.

8. Extension of Credits and Allowances: Designed specifically for small businesses, the measure aims to encourage the innovation, investment and training necessary to succeed in today's knowledge-based economy.

9. Access to Finance: Better delivery of measures which would encourage more business start-ups and also promote existing growing businesses to further expand.

10. Reinstate the tax balance by offering the self-employed similar benefits enjoyed by incorporated businesses: The introduction of the zero rate up to £10,000 business profit meant that the self-employed faced a proportionately higher tax burden as they were unaffected by this measure.