Sunday, July 8, 2012

Rising debt, shrinking economy and the threat of a recession

By Ian Spence


With the state of the economy currently as it is, a recession is more than just a likely threat, it is a very real, looming eventuality. And most businesses face the dreaded slump during a recession. At a time of severe budget cuts, it is the government that faces the need to reclaim unpaid debts. Yet, debt recovery is perhaps the most notoriously difficult occupation during times of recession. There are many more challenges as the people crippled by the recession cannot repay debts due to various commitments: student loans, mortgages, rent and so on. There are, however, ways to cope with the additional challenges and hurdles.

The numbers are looking good. The Office for National Statistics reported that since December, public spending excluding the bailout fell to 13.708bn well below the forecast of 14.9bn making the total fiscal year's borrowing 103.289bn, which is 11bn than the previous year.

The government should be on track to meet its goal cut in borrowings at 127bn down from 137.6bn the previous year. The Office for Budget Responsibility, an independent body that provides fiscal forecasts for the government has also indicated that it expects the targets to be achieved.

So far, so good. Unfortunately, while these results are encouraging on paper, but there are a lot of issues that might only show up as problems a few months later or might threaten the progress the Chancellor has been making in balancing the books.

Private Sector Involvement There needs to be a streamlining of data gathering , to improve identification and prevention of identity fraud and to ensure a higher rate of debt recovery. There is some consideration towards involvement of the private sector before choosing a direction to take. There is also a need to discuss the possible benefits of joint public and private sector endeavours.

Debt recovery is a strategic business. It involves coming up with a suitable payment plans for debtors while keeping in mind the conditions imposed on them by the recession. An ideal policy would streamline the recovery process and keep the costs low.




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