DAN TOMLINSON: ‘Lower bills for families will mean more spare cash to spend on the high street’

Writing for The Mirror, Treasury Minister Dan Tomlinson said pubs, restaurants, bars, and shops will be getting their first ever permanent cut to their tax rate

Our pubs, cafes and restaurants are the beating heart and soul of communities across the country.

We back Britain’s brilliant hospitality industry, that’s why we are reforming business rates for the long term. At the Budget we announced that pubs, restaurants, bars, and shops will be getting their first ever permanent cut to their tax rate. And this time, it won’t be temporary like it has been over recent years. The value of properties is also being revalued too by independent experts, for the first time since a big dip during the pandemic. We know many business owners are worried about what this means for their bills come April. That’s why we have taken action to protect those whose properties have gone up in value – and limited their bill increases in most cases to 5% or 15% next year compared to their current bills.

The value of some pubs and hotels, which is independently assessed, has gone up significantly. I know that will be a concern to business owners. But this government is providing billions in support to limit increases in bills for those pubs and hotels.

Without this support, pubs, as a sector, would face a 45% increase in the total bills they pay next year. Because of the support we’ve put in place, we’ve got that down to just 4%. For pubs seeing their bills go up, the majority will have their bills capped at £800, 5% or 15% next year.

Overall, this Government is choosing to spend £4.3billion of taxpayer money on a support package. This includes protection for businesses who would otherwise have seen sharp increases in bills next year.

This comes alongside a Budget that is helping with the cost of living and bringing down inflation – this government is taking £150 off energy bills for families in April.

Lower bills for families will mean more spare cash to spend on the high street, so we can all have a bit more left over each month to back our local businesses.