Yawns were the response from entrepreneurs to last month’s Budget – and it wasn’t the early start. As occasions go, it didn’t get the juices flowing.

Speaking at the post-Budget breakfast event I hosted the next morning at the excellent club for entrepreneurs, One Alfred Place, were James Hibbert, Karen Darby, and Sarah McVittie – who, with Duncan Cheatle of The Supper Club, started the petition against abolishing capital gains tax (CGT) taper relief, which secured more than 18,000 signatures. Neil Pamplin, the corporate tax director at Grant Thornton, added some taxation rigour. The Budget highlights (or lowlights) are chip paper, but I thought I’d share the thoughts of your peers with you.

Hibbert, of bespoke tailoring chain Dress2kill, was left underwhelmed by the ‘entrepreneurs’ relief’ for CGT and the Small Firms Loan Guarantee scheme pronouncements, the latter of which makes an extra £60m available. “I can’t see £60m making much difference,” he commented. “It just seems entrepreneurs have been treated badly for the last three years and we need a change; a new lease of life.”

McVittie, of mobile find business Texperts, felt frustrated about concessions for the Enterprise Management Incentive (EMI) not going further, so as to enable entrepreneurial businesses to attract the best staff from big business when they can’t afford equivalent salaries. The threshold has been increased from £100,000 to £120,000. And the capital fund for women? “Well, frankly, £12.5m is insulting,” she said. “I’ve raised £3m myself, so I’m not sure how far £12m will go.”

Meanwhile, Darby – who sold a business at 40% CGT under the Tories – is, nevertheless, disillusioned. “The government needs to be careful that if it takes away all the cheese, we might just lose our appetites!” she said. “Entrepreneurs’ relief doesn’t give me any incentive to carry on.” Darby sold Simply Switch for £22m last year and is investing in property instead. Let’s hope the government realises the true value of entrepreneurs to the economy next time around.