Britain’s chancellor of the exchequer, Rishi Sunak. Picture: WPA/GETTY IMAGES/JOHN SIBLEY
Reducing the burden on business could unleash a wave of investment geared towards the government’s aim to achieve “net zero” carbon emissions by 2050, and to “level up” by equalising opportunities across the country, business lobby groups led by the Confederation of British Industry said on Thursday.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government is reviewing the rates system, with an outcome due before the end of the year, in the fall, and possibly as soon as October 27, when Sunak delivers his budget statement. The business groups say the system is uncompetitive, with property taxes 50% higher than the G7 average as a proportion of economic output. They also say it is unproductive, putting firms off investing in energy efficiency because they face higher rates bills as a result.