Running a small business has become almost impossible | Letter

Rosie Wolfenden says that under the current tax system, and with rising costs, traditional business models are no longer viable

Thank you, Anita Chaudhuri, for writing about a crisis that is unfolding before our eyes and urgently needs the government’s attention (The British food scene was booming. Why has it suddenly gone bust?, 9 June).

Your article about restaurants struggling to stay afloat resonated deeply with me because it mirrors what is happening in the independent retail sector, alongside the pressures facing food and hospitality businesses. I have run Tatty Devine for 27 years and like to think of us as the Michelin-star equivalent of retail: specialists in our field, delivering quality, creativity and consistency in design. Yet we too have hit a wall.