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British small businesses divided on EU referendum vote: survey

Xinhua, September 17, 2015 Adjust font size:

British small businesses are divided on a likely referendum of Britain's membership of the European Union (EU), a recent survey showed on Thursday.

According to a study on small businesses' opinion on the referendum on Britain's EU membership published Thursday by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), 47 percent of its members would vote "yes" and stay in, and around 41 percent would vote to leave. A total of 6,263 FSB members responded to the survey.

To the question whether the EU is beneficial to both the economy and their businesses, 50.5 percent see the EU as beneficial for the UK economy, 34.4 percent do not see the EU as beneficial for the UK economy, and 40.6 percent do not see the EU as beneficial for their business.

"The study attempts to understand current attitudes towards EU membership among our members," FSB Policy Director Mike Cherry said.

"This research is a vital starting point in outlining the key issues and areas of concern for small businesses in the EU referendum debate," Cherry said.

"Regardless of what a firm's current position is, there is a shared message that small businesses feel they lack clear, impartial information on which to form their views," Cherry added.

The FSB is Britain's leading business organization representing small and medium-sized businesses. Formed in 1974, it now has around 200,000 members across 33 regions and 188 branches. Endit