Convenience stores rail against business rates

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

New plans to increase business rates have been slammed by convenience store owners, it has emerged.

New plans to increase business rates have been slammed by convenience store owners, it has emerged.

Talking Retail reports that the Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) has written to the chancellor asking him to take into consideration the pressure that the new five per cent hike will put small retailers under.

Speaking to the website, ACS chief executive James Lowman lamented that the decision to raise business rates had come at the "worst possible time".

"ACS will continue to push for business rates to be frozen and hope that the government listens to the calls from the business community rather than imposing this massive burden," he said.

Elsewhere, Liverpool Daily Post recently warned that the north-west port is in danger of seeing a collapse in the shipping industry as a result of the new business rates.

The news came after a docking firm went under citing insurmountable cost difficulties.

Source: ask-re The Property People LLP