Federation of Small Businesses joins calls for business rates reform
The business group has written to the Government to highlight steps that should be taken to protect small businesses, spur economic recovery, and secure green investment as part of its business rates review.
It describes the tax as an “indefensible” disincentive to invest in net zero and employee wellbeing measures.
The FSB is the latest organisation to highlight the issues with the current business rates system.
Leading trade groups – the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA), UKHospitality (UKH) and the British Institute of Innkeeping (BII) – have all called for business rates reform. The calls came as they are set to respond to the HM Treasury’s consultation on business rate revaluations and proposals to evaluate them every three years.
Rating experts at Colliers, the property consultancy, recently said the Government’s latest proposals on business rates will create more difficulties for pubs appealing their business rates than benefits
Regressive and outdated
In a letter to ministers, FSB national chair Mike Cherry describes the tax as “regressive and outdated”, and encourages policymakers to stop penalising investments aimed at improving sustainability and working conditions for employees, such as solar panels, insulation, ventilation, recycling facilities and bike sheds.
He has also called for aid aimed at high street recovery by accelerating reforms that have seen some of the smallest businesses removed from the rates system by increasing the threshold for 100% small business rates relief to £25,000.
Cherry also called for the removal of a ‘quirk’ in the system that causes a firm operating across two premises to be charged rates even if its total valuation should see it qualify for relief.
Light-touch
Ensure that efforts, welcomed by the small business community, to conduct more frequent revaluations for business rates purposes are “light-touch and transparent,” and do not prevent valid appeals.
“The Government is absolutely right to overhaul a business rates system which often lets online retailers operating from remote warehouses off the hook whilst punishing small businesses that serve as community hubs, “ he said.
“This is a levy that hurts small firms trying to do the right thing: if you put solar panels on the roof to aid your transition to net zero, or install ventilation to support the wellbeing of your staff, the Valuation Office Agency will advise your local authority that you should be paying more in business rates.”
