The burden of regulation on businesses in the UK has grown to almost £56 billion every year and is continuing to grow, the British Chamber of Commerce (BCC) has said.
The annual BCC "burdens barometer" has risen from £44.8 billion in the last year alone it said despite a government pledge to "deliver" on cutting red tape in 2006.
"Despite talking tough on regulation, this year's figures are painful reading for business," said Sally Low, of the BCC. "This year needs to be a year of action, not words."
"The UK's growing burden of red tape is unsustainable and economic success cannot be taken for granted. We risk significant damage to the competitiveness of UK companies."
Working-time regulations and data protection are the biggest burdens on business, although environmental laws are rapidly adding to the burden.
A great deal of the strain is simply cumulative however, with 77 different sets of regulation having a "significant impact" on businesses.
