THE government has today announced tougher measures to tackle the issue of late payments to small businesses. Late payment of invoices and long payment terms are key issues that businesses, especially SMEs, highlight as a barrier to their growth. In 2022, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) were owed on average an estimated £22,000 in late payments. I know that late payments are a massive barrier to growth and I am determined to fix that. Small Business Minister Kevin Hollinrake said:Small businesses form a crucial part of large companies’ supply chains.