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22 Mar 2024

Rob Brown, co-director of Dalby Forest Cycle Hub, a not-for-profit hire scheme has been nominated for the Tourism Superstar 2024 award, run by VisitEngland.

21 Mar 2024

ACS (The Association of Convenience Stores) and the Federation of Independent Retailers (The Fed) have both welcomed a new report published by the Association of Police and Crime...

21 Mar 2024

As reported by Healthstores UK, new data contained in the 2024 Soil Association Organic Market report shows that independent retailers delivered an impressive 10% growth in 2023, with...

21 Mar 2024

An independent bottle shop and bar in Cheltenham has been named as the UK's Independent Beer and Wine Retailer of the Year 2024 at the Drinks Retailing Awards. 

21 Mar 2024

A number of organisations, including Bira (the British Independent Retailers’ Association), other trade associations, BIDs and unions have met with officials from the Welsh Government to...

21 Mar 2024

The British Independent Retailers’ Association (Bira) has reacted to data released by PwC and the Local Data Company exploring the state of the UK retail landscape.

8 Mar 2024

Daniel Blackham, editor of industry magazine BikeBiz, has been writing about his experience of completing the Cytech technical one qualification at training provider Spokes People in Milton...

6 Mar 2024

Cytech partner Activate Cycle Academy, the largest and most recognised training provider of bike maintenance and technical training courses to the UK’s cycle industry, recently welcomed a...

6 Mar 2024

The Greeting Card Association has reacted to a BBC Panorama programme lifting the lid on Royal Mail management prioritising parcel delivery over letters, which it says are in contradiction of...

4 Mar 2024

Pop star Kate Bush has been announced as an ambassador for this year's Record Store Day, on 20 April.

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Business rates appeals denied amid new £1.5bn relief package

Posted on in Business News , Cycles News , Political News

The government has said it will legislate to "rule out" business rates appeals related to the Covid-19 pandemic, as it unveiled a new £1.5 billion relief package.

Tax and property experts have said the legal change on appeals would be a "catastrophic blow" for many businesses impacted by the commercial property tax.

Retail, hospitality and leisure have benefitted from a rates "holiday", which was announced at the start of the crisis. In England, it will continue until the end of June, with discounts in place until next year. But many supply chain firms and commercial property owners have been ineligible for much of this support. In Wales and Scotland, the business rates holiday was extended for another 12 months.

On Thursday, the Treasury revealed that it was making another £1.5 billion available in business rates relief for companies unable to receive current support.

It said the money would be distributed to sectors which have "suffered most economically" outside the current rates holiday.

It is understood this would particularly benefit commercial property firms and supply chain businesses that are currently ineligible for the support.

The Treasury said many firms unable to receive rates relief have appealed against their business rates bills, arguing that they have been impacted by a "material change of circumstance" due to the pandemic.

However, the government said it would now legislate to "rule out" Covid-19 related appeals and direct these companies towards the £1.5 billion pot.

Robert Hayton, UK president of property tax at the real estate adviser Altus Group, criticised the move.

"This will be a catastrophic blow for businesses who have spent the last year lawfully pursuing business rate adjustments only to have their statutory legal right ripped from them to allow the government to roll out a wholly inadequate scheme which won't deliver enough business rates support and threatens the post-pandemic recovery," he said.

Data from the HMRC's valuation office agency showed that 303,260 properties, including offices, pubs and retailers, lodged appeals in 2020, representing a 321 per cent increase on 2019.

The government said that allowing rates appeals on a "material change in circumstances" could have led to "significant amounts of taxpayer support going to businesses who have been able to operate normally throughout the pandemic" and would disproportionately benefit London.

"Our priority throughout this crisis has been to protect jobs and livelihoods," Chancellor Rishi Sunak said.

"Providing this extra support will get cash to businesses who need it most, quickly and fairly.

"By providing more targeted support than the business rates appeals system, our approach will help protect and support jobs in businesses across the country, providing a further boost as we reopen the economy, emerge from this crisis, and build back better."

 

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