Print and manufacturing leaders have reacted to a "mixed bag" Autumn Budget, which triggers a corporate tax squeeze for financial firms despite fuel freezes offering breathing space for print supply chains
The UK government’s chancellor, John Healey, delivered his first Autumn Budget yesterday, pitching a strategy of fiscal discipline combined with targeted measures aiming to offer consumers and businesses more support and breathing space.
A major pillar of the government's growth strategy focuses on private capital mobilisation, backed by a £15.4bn injection into the National Wealth Fund and an additional £5bn for the British Business Bank, aiming to unlock private capital directly into UK private markets.
Conversely, certain sectors face heavier tax burdens to fund short-term relief packages. Financial firms face a targeted squeeze as the Bank Corporation Tax Surcharge will increase from 3% to a total of 6% for 15 months from January 1st 2027, while savers and landlords face a four percentage point increase on savings and property income tax rates from April 2027.
Overheads also remain tight on factory floors as businesses continue to navigate the cumulative impact of recent changes to employer National Insurance Contributions (NICs) and the rolling implementation of the Employment Rights Act.
To offer immediate "breathing space" against global macroeconomic headwinds, the Chancellor confirmed a freeze on fuel duty alongside a £2.6bn Household Energy Payment, providing £100 winter rebates to 20 million homes.
Leaders from the print industry across the UK have reacted to the budget, giving their insights about what the Autumn Budget announcements might mean for the sector.
Phil McMullin, head of sales for Commercial & Industrial Printing and Business Systems at Epson UK, has welcomed the Budget’s emphasis on supporting small businesses and the additional backing for the British Business Bank, while stressing that support must reach those at the earliest stages.
McMullin says: “Today’s Budget placed a welcome emphasis on supporting small businesses, including additional backing for the British Business Bank. The priority now is ensuring that support reaches these entrepreneurs at the earliest stages, alongside more established firms looking to expand.
“More affordable, easy-to-use digital printing technology can lower the cost and complexity of getting started. It enables people to start small, create personalised products in small batches and test designs before expanding as demand grows. Practical business advice, digital skills, and access to finance can help more people make the most of that opportunity."
Giving further advice on how new businesses in the print market can be supported, McMullin adds: “The success of today’s measures should be judged by how straightforward they are for a first-time business owner to access and use.
“People starting from home or alongside another job need a clear route to support and the confidence to invest and plan. Helping them turn their first orders into a dependable income deserves a place in the UK’s growth ambitions.”
The British Printing Industries Federation (BPIF), which communicates and lobbies the UK government through a structured strategy of direct advocacy, grassroots networking, and official consultations, produced an article breaking down the Budget and offering advice to its members and the wider print industry.
In that article, BPIF chief executive officer, Charles Jarrold, says: “Our biggest ask was for a Budget that wouldn’t load yet more costs onto business. This only leads to lower investment, hampered productivity, and fewer jobs – a contradiction of the growth we all want to see.
“What we got was a mixed bag for business – nothing catastrophic, but nothing that offers any meaningful breathing space either. Employment costs remain high across the industry, especially following 2025’s increase to Employer NICs. The Chancellor has shown he’s not afraid to reverse his predecessor’s decisions, so we would have liked to have seen some adjustment to the Employer NICs regime that would begin to undo that damage.”
Make UK, an organisation supporting manufacturing industries across the UK, characterised the Budget as having falling short of delivering the changes that manufacturers need to invest and grow.
In his analysis of the Budget, chief executive officer of Make UK, Steve Phipson, says: “We said this Budget was the first real test of the government’s pledge to reindustrialise Britain. Today they failed to address the one issue that would enable this – high industrial energy costs.
“Our industrial electricity costs are the highest in the world. As I told the Chancellor last week, this is having a ruinous effect on investment and requires urgent action. It is hugely disappointing that he didn’t listen to a sector that supports 2.6m jobs and accounts for 42% of UK exports.”
Phipson goes on to describe the Budget as having failed to address the fundamental costs holding back investment and growth in manufacturing. He adds: “We will continue to push the government to make reindustrialisation an economic reality rather than an empty political slogan.”
