The Coalition for a Digital Economy (Coadec) has published their Startup Manifesto, setting out 24 ways the next government should make Britain a world leader in digital innovation.
The recommendations include tax cuts for entrepreneurs, restoring the post-study work visa and laws around Bitcoin.
Over 200 startups and investors have endorsed the manifesto, including King, Lovestruck, Funding Circle, Index Ventures, and Seedcamp.
Supporting digital startups
Coadec Executive Director Guy Levin, who writes a fortnightly column for Tech City News, said political parties interested in “creating jobs, fostering innovation and making Britain a world leader in technology should give it a read”.
The manifesto calls on the next government to:
- Cut taxes for entrepreneurs, including reducing National Insurance Contributions (NICs) for startups that volunteer to teach coding
- Retrain those made redundant by disruptive technology, rather than blocking innovation through protective regulation
- Open the doors to tech talent from outside the EU by restoring the post-study work visa and allowing VCs to sponsor employees on behalf of startups
- Back the UK’s lead in financial technology by creating a legal framework for Bitcoin, and digitising the identity checks required for Anti-Money Laundering procedures.
‘United voice’
Taavet Hinrikus, Co-founder of TransferWise, said that tech sectors like banking is changing quickly and London “appears – at least for the moment – to be leading the way”.
However, there is so much more the next government could do to secure this.
And some of it is as simple as speeding up the installation time for high-speed broadband or making it easier to hire great people from overseas.
Jeff Lynn, Founder of Seedrs and Chairman of Coadec, said he founded Coadec “because there wasn’t a united voice speaking up for startups in political debates”.