Nine out of ten small firms are unhappy over this year's Budget, according to a snap poll.
Following a survey of its members, the Forum of Private Business revealed just 5% believe Alistair Darling's proposals will create an environment for their businesses to develop, while 87% said the measures will not increase business and consumer confidence.

The survey also found almost half of respondents believed the Budget had a negative impact on employment, reflecting what the FPB called "widespread anger" at the planned hike in National Insurance rates.

However, just under 9% said they believed the Budget was designed to encourage short-term recovery, and around 19% said the Chancellor's measure would have a positive impact on both cashflow support and business investment.

Meanwhile, a similar amount (18%) said the Budget would have a positive effect on business growth support and 14% thought it would improve access to finance.

More than two thirds of respondents said they expect a more realistic budget to be delivered after the general election.

FPB chief executive Phil Orford said: "This research appears to support our initial assessment of the Budget - overall, it fell far short of what we were hoping for and there was a sense that it was very much a budget for the election.

He added: "However, there were some specific measures included in the Budget which should help some SMEs (small and medium enterprises) - things like the creation of a credit adjudicator for small firms, the extension to HMRC's Time to Pay scheme and new targets aimed at helping small businesses get more public sector contracts.

"As long as they are administered properly, these schemes should provide tangible, on-the-ground support to smaller firms and the Forum's members appear to appreciate that."