Policy
The policy work that we carry out on behalf of our member companies has become a progressively more important part of our overall agenda.
Over the past year, we have held an expanded series of forums with industry experts and US, UK and EU policy-makers on both sides of the Atlantic on issues ranging from corporate and personal taxation, energy and immigration to security, free trade/protectionism, aviation and cyber threats.
We maintain an ongoing dialogue with Government on many of these issues to ensure that they take account of our members’ interests in the development of government policies. Periodically, we also make direct, formal representations to Government on issues of particular concern. In doing so, we have the additional credibility of speaking on behalf of all the 2,500 members of the 23 chapters of the British-American Business Council (BABC), as well as our own membership.
For example, over the past year, we made strong representations about the 2010 Bribery Act and the British Government’s proposals to limit non-EU migration into the UK, in response to major concerns among our members on both sides of the Atlantic. The Government broadly accepted some of our arguments on both issues (such as, by excluding intra-company transfers from the immigration cap). We will continue to press our ongoing concerns on both these and other issues over the coming year.
We have previously made formal representations (with partial or complete success) to the UK and/or US Governments on a broad range of issues such as taxation, immigration/visa restrictions, free trade, aviation and defence (including the UK/US Defence Trade Treaty).
For further information about our past and present policy initiatives please click here
