An online petition calling on the Government to scrap its planned rise in employer National Insurance Contributions (NICs) has been set up by leading retail and business groups.

Among those who are backing the move are the British Retail Consortium (BRC), the British Chambers of Commerce and the Confederation of British Industry.

The petition is calling on the Government to reverse the one per cent increase in employer contributions planned for April 2011.

It can be found at www.no-nics-rise.co.uk/.

Figures from the Federation of Small Businesses (which also signed the petition) revealed that a 1p increase in employer NICs could result in the loss of 57,000 small business jobs and could lose the Exchequer £900 million in additional social security receipts.