BURNING ISSUES
High taxes appear to be here to stay! And they dominate sentiment vis-à-vis business as the foremost concern for the 14th consecutive month, topping the list of burning issues.
In March, 49 percent of surveyed executives identified high taxes as their primary concern – that’s three percentage points lower than in February.
NO SILVER LINING IN SIGHT
Never-ending tax burdens and the economy continue to weigh on business minds
In the latest LMD-PEPPERCUBE Business Confidence Index (BCI) survey, inflation remains the second most pressing issue. Nearly a third (31%) of respondents cited inflation as a major concern, which is unchanged from the previous month.
And poor workforce standards retains third position for the fourth consecutive month with 27 percent of participants expressing concern (a 2% decline from February).
According to the exclusive poll conducted in the first week of March, brain drain and state sector red tape switched positions from the previous month. Ranked at No. 4, brain drain was picked by nearly a quarter (24%) of respondents while state sector bureaucracy followed in fifth place with 20 percent.
On a national scale, the economy continues to be the dominant concern with a clear majority of participants (61%) identifying it as the country’s foremost challenge – unchanged from the month prior.
And the cost of living was the second most cited issue, flagged by 39 percent of those surveyed, which is the same as in the previous month.
Meanwhile, concerns surrounding the brain drain climbed to third place with slightly under one in five (17%) highlighting it as a burning issue.
Unemployment and our haphazard education system ranked fourth and fifth respectively, with 15 and 12 percent of those surveyed saying so.
– LMD
This content is available for subscribers only.
