Question to the HM Treasury:

Whether his Department plans to review the business rates system.

The government undertook the last fundamental review of business rates in 2016 and announced major reforms worth approx. £9bn to businesses by the end of the parliament. At Autumn Budget 2017, the government delivered more support on business rates including businesses’ top priorities to bring forward the switch to CPI indexation, revalue properties more frequently and to address the staircase tax. As a next step, the government is also reviewing the wider taxation of the digital economy. This includes ensuring international corporate tax rules deliver fair results across different businesses and that sellers operating through online marketplaces pay the right amount of VAT.