Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to review the business rates system; and when they expect to make any resulting changes to the system of business rates in England.

The government concluded a fundamental review of business rates at Budget 2016 and decided that business rates should remain as a property tax. Respondents to the review agreed that property based taxes were easy to collect, difficult to avoid, relatively stable compared to other taxes and had a clear link with local authority spending. They also raise revenue in a way that is less distortionary than some other taxes. There was no consensus on an alternative tax base. Following the review, the government introduced reforms and reductions worth over £10bn by 2023 to cut the burden of business rates.