Business bailouts must not become the norm in normal times

Britain’s government is trying to help businesses through the present lockdown. It has promised loans to companies whose business is interrupted. It has agreed to pay 80% of their wages. And it has extended comparable support to nearly all self-employed persons.

These policies aren’t perfect. Most firms really don’t want to take on more debt. And the loans are hard to get because the banks are not relaxing their lending criteria. They feel that if they make loans easy and customers default, the government won’t bail them out. But unless something gives, a majority of locked-down businesses could fail within three months. Governments should be insurers of last resort, not lenders of last resort.

Likewise, the 80% salary grant is paid only if employees aren’t working. If they get a temporary job—even essential work like helping out food producers—it dries up. It’s paid only if workers do nothing—which wasn’t the idea. And the scheme is already being abused by bad employers who claim the money but actually make staff work from home.

Well, there are times you have to make policy on the hoof. So, such problems occur. The trick is to keep it simple and admit that it won’t please everyone. And set a time limit so people know this really is an emergency measure, not a future way of state-subsidised life.