Food: Wholesale Trade

(asked on 20th July 2020) - View Source

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has plans to extend business rates relief to food and drink wholesalers who supply to (a) schools, (b) hospitals, (c) care homes and the hospitality industry to mitigate against (i) businesses in that sector closing and (ii) jobs being lost as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.


Answered by
Jesse Norman Portrait
Jesse Norman
This question was answered on 23rd July 2020

The Government has provided enhanced support through business rates relief to businesses occupying properties used for retail, hospitality and leisure given the direct and acute impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on those sectors.

A range of other measures to support all businesses, including those not eligible for the business rates holiday, such as wholesalers, has also been made available. On 8 July the Chancellor set out a package of measures to support jobs across the UK, including a Job Retention Bonus to help firms keep furloughed workers, and a new £2 billion Kickstart Scheme to create hundreds of thousands of new, fully subsidised jobs for young people. The Chancellor has also announced a cut in VAT to 5% for accommodation, attractions and the hospitality sector.

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