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Small entrepreneurs face a "lot of confusion" over exactly what official assistance is available to help them, a business leader has claimed.

John Dunsmure, managing director of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), made the claim in an interview to mark the start of Small Business Week 2007.

The initiative, whose sponsors include the BCC and communications giant BT, is designed to help better understand the challenges that face today's small business owners.

Mr Dunsmure said that while the government had created a number of organisations to assist small firms, it remained "more interested" in the tax gains it could make from small business owners.

He added that tax and regulations often acted as a "burden" on small firms and held them back.

The BCC chief's comments reflect the findings of a new survey which found that just seven per cent of small businesses thought the government was doing everything it could to help them.

According to the poll of 1650 small firms, based across the UK, simplifying regulations is the key action that entrepreneurs want ministers to take.

The survey, conducted for BT and released to mark Small Business Week, found that 74 per cent of respondents wanted the government to simplify regulations, while a further 70 per cent wanted ministers to reduce business-related taxes.

Half of the businesses interviewed also thought the government should offer small firms greater incentives, while 32 per cent said they wanted better advice and support provision.

Commenting on the findings Bill Murphy, managing director of BT Business, said: "Our report demonstrates that there are many areas of concern to small businesses and it's critical that we provide more support and help these companies to thrive and grow.

Stephen Timms, minister of state at the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, stressed the importance of small businesses, which he said employed over ten million people and contributed £967 billion to the UK's economy.

"The increase in their numbers has been a big success for Britain in the last few years. We want to build on that now, and help today's small businesses grow and take advantage of the new global markets," he said.