Exclusive: Business rates hike a ‘ticking time bomb’ for London economy, Mayor warns November 29, 2022 Thousands of squeezed London businesses are now facing a “ticking time bomb” in the form of coming tax hikes, London Mayor Sadiq Khan has warned. Khan revealed to City A.M. last night that business rates will increase in 28 of the capital’s 32 boroughs in 2023, just as the UK is predicted to go into [...]
Harrods sees £15m drop in business rates assessment as retail undergoes dramatic revaluation November 21, 2022 More than half a million retail properties across England and Wales have now been revalued with new rateable values, which will be used to calculate business rates liabilities from 1 April 20023 to 31 March 2026, having been published showing a fall of 10 per ccent overall for the sector. The Valuation Office Agency, an [...]
Business rates row set for crunch tribunal decision this week May 16, 2022 Businesses facing hefty business rates bills are set for a court showdown over the Government’s decision to strip them of their right to appeal their property taxes in a series of major cases this week. The Valuation Tribunal, an independent judicial body, will hear a series of 26 test cases on May 18 from occupiers [...]
American candy stores: Calls for ‘stronger’ laws and business rate reform to clamp down on shops which blight Oxford Street March 17, 2023 Westminster City Council has called for a “stronger” economic crime bill and reform of business rates to officially bring a halt to American candy and souvenir stores which continue to litter Oxford Street. “We are dealing here with a sophisticated operation which is skilled at exploiting UK legal loopholes,” Cllr Adam Hug, leader of Westminster [...]
Business rates have made American candy stores a blight on our streets July 1, 2022 The emergence of large numbers of American-styled candy stores across the West End over the last year has become a cause for concern amongst high street retailers, leisure businesses and hospitality owners alike. Having weathered the storms of the pandemic, which saw footfall and revenues plummet during lockdowns, the West End was beginning to show [...]
Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Greggs join forces to lobby Sunak to slash business rates May 3, 2022 Supermarket giants have reiterated calls for a cut in business rates as firms endeavour to keep prices competitive for shoppers amid rising inflation. Big names including Morrisons and Co-op have come together under a new Cut the Shops Tax campaign, organised by the Retail Jobs Alliance. In a joint letter to Chancellor Rishi Sunak, bosses [...]
Opinion-in-brief: Rishi, stop dawdling on business rates October 20, 2021 Business rates raise £26bn a year but the tax is unfairly skewered against the retail sector who pay nearly one third of the tax. Only contribute one fifth to UK GDP. Retailers are paying rates bills linked to rental value 2015 – despite very different market conditions. Unaffordable business rates bills have been cited as [...]
Labour renews pressure on government to slash business rates October 18, 2021 Labour will tomorrow renew its calls to slash business rates as it airs concerns that nearly 1m British jobs are currently at risk. Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves will pile pressure on Rishi Sunak to entirely reform the taxation system in his autumn Budget, while pointing out that figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) [...]
Sunak deaf to industry calls to overhaul business rates October 14, 2021 Chancellor Rishi Sunak has ignored calls from industry chiefs to shake up the business rate regime at the next budget. According to The Telegraph, government plans to overhaul the business rate system have been “thrown into the long grass”. The Chancellor has not had enough time to consider the effects of wholesale changes to the [...]
Top industry brass press Sunak on business rates overhaul October 14, 2021 The UK’s top business groups who represent over 9m workers are pressing Chancellor Rishi Sunak to overhaul the business rates regime. The Confederation of British Industry (CBI), alongside 41 trade associations acting on behalf of 261,000 businesses, have called on Sunak to reduce the burden of business rates on firms at this month’s budget to [...]