Small businesses killed

sir – As a bookkeeper and accountant, I watched Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor, roll out his support scheme for small businesses last month (report, March 17).

I soon saw a gap in his plans: the abandonment of directors of small limited companies. I launched a petition to highlight this. Nearly a third of a million people have signed it.

Thankfully, the Treasury select committee has begun to focus on the false arguments from HM Revenue and Customs that earned dividend tax (paid by so many of these smallbusiness directors) is indistinguishable from investment dividend tax.

Most worrying, however, are politicians who send out letters suggesting furlough, disregarding how that will kill small businesses, or recommending Universal Credit – for which most won’t qualify as they have diligently saved money for pensions.

Many thousands of small businesses are at risk of going under.

Amanda Evans

Yeovil, Somerset

sir – I run a small business from a serviced office, so do not pay business rates directly to the local authority. I cannot claim the government smallbusiness grant linked to these rates.

Is this what the Chancellor wants?

Simon Fryer

Hampstead Norreys, Berkshire