Are we in a catch 22 with business rates?

Zach Wilcox argues that if the local tax system is out of date, it needs comprehensive reform, not tinkering.

Press release published on 11 March 2014

A year and a half after the 2012 Local Government Finance Act was passed to reform the business rates system, the Business, Innovation and Skills Select Committee is calling for further reform of business rates saying the system it is ‘not fit for purpose.’

While it is important to continue to bring out the challenges and imperfections of the current system, I can’t help but feel that this insight and strong voice would have been much more helpful during the redesign, not when local government is finally getting settled in the new, albeit far from perfect, system.

Read the rest of the article in The MJ.

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Senior Consultant, City Economics at Arup