The coalition government is likely to increase capital gains tax but compromise on business assets. The Conservative-Liberal Democrat agreement spells out: “Taxing non-business capital gains at rates similar or close to those applied to income, with generous exemptions for entrepreneurial business activities.” In his In Focus blog today, Insider editor Michael Taylor says: "The mood music in this government is very much that “entrepreneurs” are good, but that private equity, like “greedy bankers” and “hedge funds” are shorthand trigger phrases for the bad guys who are still fair game for a bit of a kicking." To read more, click here.

Tables are selling fast for Insider’s annual North West Dealmakers Awards, one of the pivotal events in the region’s corporate finance calendar. The ceremony, now in its tenth year, will take place on 18 November at Manchester Central and is expected to attract more than 800 guests. Last year’s awards saw Nelson-based Daisy Communications scoop Deal of the Year, while Jonathan Boyers from KPMG was named Dealmaker of the Year. Insider Members can book tables here, while non-members can book here.

Printing business G&H Web Offset, which trades from premises in Liverpool and Chorley, has gone into administration. Joint administrators Stephen Clancy and David Whitehouse from insolvency specialist MCR said the company would continue to trade as normal and efforts would be made to sell it as a going concern. The business, which employs 35 people across both sites, is a subsidiary of Dorset-based G&H Group. Other group companies, including G&H Sheetfed and G&H Mail, are unaffected by the administration.

Author and former journalist Jane Wolstenholme has joined Liverpool marketing and communications agency Kenyon Fraser as director of corporate PR. She has been tasked with growing the company’s portfolio of clients, which includes Merseytravel, The Royal Liverpool University Hospital and Smokefree Liverpool. Wolstenholme is a former director of Factory Communications, which was bought by Paver Smith in 2008, and worked at Trinity Mirror’s newspapers in Liverpool. She is also a novelist under the pen name Jane Costello.

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines has now started its fourth daily service from Liverpool John Lennon Airport (JLA) to Schiphol airport in Amsterdam. The new service comes just over a year after KLM launched the route. Henri Hourcade, the airline’s general manager for the UK and Ireland, told Insider: “We firmly believe in the product we have here. Liverpool is a growing region and we are delighted to be a part of it. The service launched in the middle of the recession, but we have seen regular growth which is why we launched this new service.”

Apex Health and Social Care has won a four-year contract with Liverpool City Council worth approximately £1.2m. The company will assist the elderly and people with physical difficulties in accessing services within Merseyside. Lyn Leitch, regional manager at Apex’s Liverpool branch, said: “We firmly believe that Liverpool City Council has chosen to work with Apex because of the high level of care that we provide and the attention that we give to each patient on every individual basis.”

Plant hire specialist Speedy Hire, based in Newton-le-Willows, has continued its recent run of contract wins with the announcement that housebuilder Galliford Try has renewed and extended an existing supplier agreement. Under the terms of the deal, Speedy will be Galliford Try’s first choice to supply tools, safety gear, lifting and survey equipment. The contract runs for the next five years and is worth up to £20m. Earlier this year Speedy announced a raft of new contract wins worth more than £50m.

Insider Membership gives you essential sales leads, competitor intelligence, business analysis and comment from your region. Give yourself that competitive edge by becoming an Insider Member today and get indispensable information and inspiration throughout 2010. Click here for the Membership package and order online today to stay ahead of the game. Alternatively, contact Michelle Ferster or call 0161 907 9701 for further information.