Asked by: Paul Kohler (Liberal Democrat - Wimbledon)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make a comparative estimate of the potential impact of maintaining levels of fuel duty at the Autumn Budget 2024 on the cost of transporting goods by (a) rail freight and (b) road haulage.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
At Autumn Budget 2024, the Government announced continued support for people and businesses by extending the temporary 5p fuel duty cut and cancelling the planned increase in line with inflation for 2025/26.
This maintains fuel duty rates, including those for red diesel, at the levels set in March 2022 for an additional 12 months and represents an average saving of nearly £1,100 for heavy goods vehicles in 2025/26.
In 2020, the previous Government announced that the red diesel entitlement would be withdrawn from most sectors from April 2022. In the rail sector, the previous Government concluded that the removal of the red diesel entitlement for passenger or freight journeys risked creating perverse environmental outcomes, namely transferring rail freight or passengers to more polluting lorries, coaches and cars if costs rose. Whereas full duty diesel is taxed at 52.95p per litre, red diesel is taxed at 10.18p per litre.
Asked by: Paul Kohler (Liberal Democrat - Wimbledon)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the reduction in business rate relief for grassroots music venues on (a) the number of jobs in the music industry and (b) early-career musicians.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
At the Autumn Budget, the Government announced that retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) properties will receive 40% relief (up to a cash cap of £110,000 per business) for 2025-26.
The Culture, Media and Sport (CMS) Committee’s report on grassroots music venues recommended that RHL relief should not be wholly withdrawn in April 2025. The Committee’s report also highlighted the sector's desire for certainty and long-term stability. That is why the Government intends to introduce permanently lower tax rates for RHL properties with rateable values below £500,000 from 2026-27.
The Government’s full response to the CMS Committee’s report was published on 14 November 2024 and is available online: https://committees.parliament.uk/work/8227/grassroots-music-venues/publications/.
Asked by: Paul Kohler (Liberal Democrat - Wimbledon)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of changes in business rate relief for grassroots music venues on the (a) number of live music venues and (b) music industry.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
At the Autumn Budget, the Government announced that retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) properties will receive 40% relief (up to a cash cap of £110,000 per business) for 2025-26.
The Culture, Media and Sport (CMS) Committee’s report on grassroots music venues recommended that RHL relief should not be wholly withdrawn in April 2025. The Committee’s report also highlighted the sector's desire for certainty and long-term stability. That is why the Government intends to introduce permanently lower tax rates for RHL properties with rateable values below £500,000 from 2026-27.
The Government’s full response to the CMS Committee’s report was published on 14 November 2024 and is available online: https://committees.parliament.uk/work/8227/grassroots-music-venues/publications/.