Business rates announcements a win for independent retailers

Bira CEO, Andrew Goodacre has hailed the Budget’s business rates announcements as a win for independent retailers

He said: the increase in Small Business Rates Relief and the decision to link other rates rises to inflation were measures Bira had campaigned for, and should be seen as a win for the association and its members. However, he said the lack of help on employment and energy costs was a missed opportunity.

In the Budget, delivered by Chancellor John Healey this week, Small Business Rates Relief was extended to businesses with a rateable value of up to £18,000, up from £12,000. Businesses above that threshold will see rates increases linked to inflation, at 3.5% next year, avoiding the 25% increase that would have happened without intervention.

The Chancellor said the change would take around 70,000 more businesses out of business rates altogether, meaning half of all shops, restaurants and gyms will pay no business rates at all.

The National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage will rise by 3.9%, an increase of 50p per hour for workers aged 21 and over, with lower increases for those aged 18 to 20. However, there were no changes to employer National Insurance contributions or to energy costs.

Andrew Goodacre added: “On the negative side, the lack of measures to reduce the cost of employment and energy is disappointing. Increasing the Employment Allowance would have been a real help to small employers, and this was a missed opportunity.”

The Budget also introduced a £90,000 threshold before VAT is charged on online sales from UK businesses.

Mr Goodacre said: “In trying to close one loophole, the government has created another one.

“Finally, we support measures to reduce the impact of the cost of living on the general public, and we hope this boosts consumer confidence as we enter the crucial ‘golden quarter’ for the retail sector.”