11 April 2012

Business Rates Petition

Andrew Denny, Managing Director of Fix-a-Form International Ltd and past Regional Board Member has launched an e-petition against the recent 5.6% hike in Business Rates. Please see his message below and follow the link to sign the petition.

I have launched an e-petition against the recent 5.6% hike in Business Rates, which I believe is unfair and comes at just the wrong time for business. I should be grateful if you would follow the link below and sign the petition. It would be even better if you sent the link to your friends and colleagues and ask them to do the same.

Some facts about Business Rates;

Business Rates bear no relation to a company's ability to pay. They are based upon property value rather than profit.

Property values already increase with inflation; there is no need to also increase the business rate. This is double counting.

Business Rates are collected by local authorities but unlike Council Tax the money is transferred to central government, i.e. it is bled from the local economy.

The Government has slashed the money it provides to local authorities and at the same time has dictated that they freeze Council Tax, and yet it has increased the equivalent tax on business. This could put some companies out of business.

The Government has recently made a 1% cut to the rate of Corporation Tax for the largest and most profitable companies. However, it has made a 5.6% increase to a tax which every company, even small or loss making ones, has to pay.  This is at a time when the Government expects SMEs to drive the economic recovery.

The recent Mary Portas report listed Business Rates as one of the key areas for review if we are to rescue the High Street.

Business Rates are paid by landlords even on business premises which are empty. Small business units all around the country are being demolished in order to save paying the tax. This will stifle the economic recovery.

This is a national issue. If we can obtain 100,000 signatures the Government will be obliged to debate the issue.

Kind regards,
Andrew Denny

TO SIGN THE PETITION, PLEASE CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW: http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/31706