Allison Kirkby says British businesses pay ‘10 times the amount our peers pay’ - Pau Barrena/Bloomberg The chief executive of BT has attacked “government-inflicted costs” for holding back British businesses. Allison Kirkby said the telecoms giant was lagging behind its European rivals because of punishing costs heaped on the group by the Labour Government. She said taxes, levies and red tape meant its spending bill was significantly higher than other companies on the continent. “We pay in business ra ...