For the past few years, retailers have headed the drive for the business rates system in the UK to be reformed, claiming the current method of judging how much tax businesses should pay based on their commercial property is unfair. However,... Read More
In recent months, a number of lobby groups have called for local governments to have more control over business rates income in their own constituencies, with communities secretary Eric Pickles even agreeing that councils should be able to keep around 80 to... Read More
The UK’s leading supermarkets, already losing market share to discounters, face another blow due to the delayed business rates revaluation due to take place next year, a rating expert warns. According to analysts, members of the Big Four could face... Read More
Twenty councils from around the UK have backed a proposal to introduce a “Tesco Tax”. Led by Derby city council, the local authorities have called on the government to impose a tax on large retailers which would see businesses such as Tesco,... Read More
Chancellor George Osborne is rumoured to be considering a business rates reform which would see local authorities in cities such as Manchester, Liverpool and Leeds keep a greater proportion of revenue raised for use in local enterprise... Read More
Croydon has called for greater business rates autonomy to support its plans to transform the London borough into a premier office location. The council hopes to create close to 3 million sq ft of Grade A office space in a bid to attract tech and... Read More
Hard pressed London businesses and commercial property owners will be less than impressed to learn that over 50 foreign embassies owe local authorities in excess of half a million pounds in unpaid business rates. Overseas diplomats are officially... Read More
In what is being seen as the most outspoken criticism of the business rates system so far, more than 100 of the country’s biggest companies have condemned the tax as a “critical problem” to recovery and future investment. Demanding that all the... Read More
Second home owners exploiting an anomaly in the business rates system have been accused of taking part in a tax avoidance scheme by a rating expert. The claim comes in an Independent exclusive which has unearthed evidence of householders... Read More
The high street was one of the big casualties of the financial crisis with town centres nationwide recording steep increases in vacancy rates. Fortunately, this trend appears to be reversing thanks to the ongoing economic recovery, with July’s shop vacancy... Read More
