TRADE bodies are lobbying the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond, about a planned hike in business rates, ahead of his first Budget speech on March 8.
Small businesses are facing a double hit in April of higher rates and a requirement to file tax returns on a quarterly rather than yearly basis.
BADA president Victoria Borwick MP told ATG she has asked the Chancellor directly if there “could be another way of looking at the rates – so that rateable value also takes into account factors such as turnover, size of premises, independent or a chain of premises”.