Research by the Consumer Credit Counselling Service (CCCS) exclusively for The Independent shows that the average personal debt of a small business owner or self-employed person stands at £30,514, compared to an average for the debt charity’s clients of just £20,023.
The majority of this debt is in the form of high-charging short-term credit cards and personal loans. “We are finding that with the economic difficulties the self-employed and small business owners are plugging the gaps in their personal and business finances with these short-term credit card and loan debt, perhaps because they can be raised a little easier than standard business loans,” said Una Farrell, head of communications at the CCCS.
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