Non-domestic Rates

(asked on 14th December 2018) - View Source

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, whether they are considering an alternative to business rates.


Answered by
Lord Bates Portrait
Lord Bates
This question was answered on 20th December 2018

The government keeps all taxes under review.

The government completed a fundamental review of business rates in 2016. Respondents were in favour of retaining a property based tax, and agreed that business rates are easy to collect, difficult to avoid, stable, and clearly linked to local government spending.

Alternative taxes were proposed, but there was no consensus on these options and respondents were clear that they each presented their own significant challenges. At Budget 2018 the government announced Our Plan for the High Street, which includes a new retail discount cutting eligible retailers’ business rates bills by a third for two years from April 2019.

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