Up to 89,000 manufacturing businesses could benefit from a reduction of up to £2,000 from their employer National Insurance Contributions (NICs) bill, according to HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC).
The businesses will be able to reduce their NICs bill, the tax that employers pay for employees' entitlement to a State Pension, from April 2014 thanks to the Government's new Employment Allowance.
More than 90 per cent of the benefit of this allowance will go to businesses with fewer than 50 employees. HMRC said: "Some 19,000 businesses in manufacturing paying NICs of £2,000 or less will see their employer NICs wiped out."
A business that employs one person on £22,400 will pay no employer NICs. A business employing five adults full-time on the national minimum wage will see their employer NICs bill reduced by more than 80 per cent.
HMRC added: "Available every year, the allowance will be simple to claim and easy to administer. Businesses will just have to confirm their eligibility for the allowance through their regular payroll processes and up to £2,000 will be deducted from their employer NICs liability over the course of the year."
Secretary to the Treasury David Gauke said: "Small businesses are the lifeblood of our economy and we want to do what we can to support them. The Employment Allowance will reduce the cost of taking on new staff, supporting 89,000 businesses in the manufacturing industry, and hundreds of thousands more across the UK with an ambition to grow, by reducing the cost of hiring their first employee or growing their workforce."