Businessmen in South Lakeland have called on the Prime Minister to stop hitting them with high taxes.

The Cumbria Chamber of Commerce has drawn up a 20-point plan of action it wants from Tony Blair's government.

Members state that the tax burden on British firms is significantly higher than in other countries and cite Germany, Ireland and Holland as examples.

They want the government to spend more on business support initiatives instead of back-to-work programmes.

Chief executive Viv Dodd said that people in South Lakeland and the country as a whole wanted greater prosperity: "Members of the chamber of commerce believe strongly that the government's role is to create the conditions in which our business can succeed."

The action plan drawn up by the chamber of commerce calls for:

l Simplifying the distribution of government aid and services.

l Improvements to public transport and the road network.

l Abolition of part of the Transport Act that gives local authorities the power to levy workplace parking charges.