The British Marine Federation (BMF)- the UK’s leisure boating trade association – has released a statement outlining the implications of Alistair Darling’s 2010 Budget announcement.

‘The BMF welcomes the announcements set out in yesterday’s Budget to support small businesses and boost trade overseas, but is disappointed that more has not been done to boost UK tourism.

‘The Chancellor’s announcement that the Government will invest £2.5bn in a one off growth package to help small businesses is particularly welcome when so many members continue to face challenging economic times.

‘With many members still facing difficulties accessing credit, Government plans to create a Small Business Credit Adjudicator to enforce compliance if credit has been unfairly held back, will be very welcome.

The BMF, is pleased that the Treasury is supporting British Waterway’s (BW) pursuit of mutual status and acknowledges the benefits this could bring for the inland marine sector.

Rob Stevens, Chief Executive of the British Marine Federation, was disappointed with other sections of the budget:

We are disappointed that government has not done more to help UK tourism. We have a thriving boating holiday’s sector that is an important part of UK tourism. We believe that Government should be doing more at this time to ensure that tourism is at the forefront of the economic recovery.