Welsh Government must match Business Rates cut

The Welsh Liberal Democrats have called on the Welsh Government to match the UK Government’s decision to suspend business rates for small businesses.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced during his budget that the UK Government would suspend for a year business rates in England for small businesses with a rateable value of less than £51,000.

Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader Jane Dodds commented:

Today’s announcement from the UK Government is a welcome step in the right direction and one which I’m sure small businesses in England will appreciate. However, we must now ensure that small businesses here in Wales are not disadvantaged by this.

I urge the Welsh Government to match the proposals announced today by the UK Government and not to simply reject them out of hand simply because of which party enacted them. We cannot let tribalism or narrow party politics get in the way of doing what is right and will better people’s lives.

The Welsh Liberal Democrats have long called for a fairer system of business rates. Small businesses need help to keep our high streets vibrant and growing. Only by fundamentally reviewing our approach to taxing businesses can we achieve that.

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