A couple of recent articles in the Herald have discussed the issue of debtors becoming slower payers than usual of late. (Late payers 'growing drain on cashflow' and Slow-payers put strain on SMEs). This is an issue that has been raised by credit reporting bureau Dun and Bradstreet.
I would have to agree. Many clients and debtors I have talked to in the new year are saying the same things. I can't pay my bills because my debtors are dragging the chain.
Whilst lots is said about big business being slow paying the worst offenders I'm told are government departments.
Whilst an SME doesn't have to worry about government departments running out of money (well not just yet at any rate) this comfort still doesn't reduce the overdraft.
So next time you're talking to your local Nat MP ask him/her about what's been done by the government to fix the problem of government department debt being overdue. And don't be fobbed off by the previous Labour government being blamed.
This one one issue the so called business friendly Nats promised to fix 2 years ago and, according to my very loose anecdoctal evidence at any rate, haven't. Perhaps by business friendly they meant big business and not SMEs!
