EU red tape penalises small firms A new report by the Independent Business Network (IBN) has called for the scrapping of dozens of EU rules that it says are penalising small firms including motorsport businesses. The report warns that retained EU law has created an “uneven playing field” that is hampering the growth of SMEs. Proposals put forward by the IBN include overhauling a series of health and safety measures that it says are “unnecessary and very costly" for businesses. The report also calls for the Government to take advantage of the freedoms offered by Brexit to overhaul VAT. A Government spokesman said ministers have already revoked or reformed more than 1,000 EU laws since Brexit, with another 500 rules due to be scrapped via financial legislation. They also noted that an additional 600 are due to be included in the Retained EU Law Bill.