The rebates, which consist in granting a lump sum discount to the ...

the effort of the other department in reducing red tape, to conduct CCAs and a review of thatregulation that may have produced high burdens on business 50 .The process of regulatory simplification was re-launched in 1992, with the creation of a task forceto combat excessive regulation.In 1997 there was an important change in the aim of the regulatory reform, which principal goalshift from “deregulation” towards “better regulation”. This leads to a more emphasis on theconsultation process with the involvement of all the possible subject affected by the proposal andmore efforts made by the government in promoting self-regulation and self-enforcement. A “Betterregulation Task Force” was established”, with the main task to delegate key responsibility forregulatory simplification to the departments, since the administration reportedly believed that“administrative simplification did not depend on the enforcement of centrally set targets, but on theinitiative of departments to develop best practice” 51In 1998, under the Blair Presidency was introduced a complete Regulatory Impact Assessment thatwas based on the analysis of the cost and benefits of the regulatory options identified and thatincluded also the “zero option”.Most important in the process of regulation simplification was the Regulatory Reform Act, whichcame in force on 1 April 2001. According with the Act “a Minister of the Crown may by ordermake provision for the purpose of reforming legislation which has the effect of imposing burdensaffecting persons in the carrying on of any activity” 52 . The Regulatory Reform Act was able toaddress the lack of standardized procedures for reviewing existing legislation 53 .In 2005 Gordon Brawn launched an ambitious Better regulation Action Plan, following by the“Less is More” paper by the BRTF. The Action Plan imposed to the Departments to measure thetotal administrative burden they impose upon business.50 White Paper Building Business-Not Barriers, Cmnd 9794, 198651 OECD, From Red Tape to Smart Tape, Administrative simplification in OECD Countries, 200352 Regulatory Reform Act 2001, available on http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2001/ukpga_20010006_en_1#pb1, visitedon 11 July 200953 Renda A., Impact Assessment in UE, the State of the Art and the Art of the State, Centre for European Policy study,Brussels 200658