division_name: Supporting Small Business
motion: <p class="indent" pid="c674.2/2" pwmotiontext="yes">That this House recognises the importance of British businesses to high streets and communities across the UK and the exceptional challenges they face due to the pandemic and rising costs; regrets the Government&#8217;s current plan to end all temporary support for businesses from April 2022; calls on the Government to support businesses by freezing the business rates multiplier and extending the threshold for small business rates relief from &#163;15,000 rateable value to &#163;25,000 in 2022-23; and further calls on the Chancellor of the Exchequer to update the House in person before January 2022 on his Department&#8217;s assessment of the impact that removing the temporary business support will have on small businesses.</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c676.3/3" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;to make sure that the businesses of this country can continue to flourish I am announcing today a package of measures cutting business rates further&#8230;particularly for SMEs to help&#8230;stimulate the high street.&#8221;</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c676.3/5" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;final conclusions in Spring 2021&#8221;,</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c677.3/6" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;in their current form, our business rates system is uncompetitive&#8230;and unfair.&#8221;</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c677.3/8" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;Sky high business rates are closing stores up and down the country and preventing new ones from opening.&#8221;</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c678.0/3" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;hits firms before they&#8217;ve even made a pound in turnover&#8221;,</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c678.0/5" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;literally become a tax on investment.&#8221;</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c678.0/8" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;It&#8217;s shameful that they have still not readjusted their thinking on how Amazon and the delivery giants should be paying equivalent rates of tax online&#8230;Their slowness in understanding, their tardiness, is ridiculous."</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c690.2/11" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;anyone wanting to invest in new equipment&#8212;especially green technologies&#8221;,</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c690.2/13" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;sees their business rates rise&#8221;</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c690.2/15" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;is a perverse disincentive to investment and productivity improvement&#8221;.</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c690.2/19" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;More than half of business investment is subject to business rates; this unfair, uncompetitive system has become a tax on investment that simply isn&#8217;t fit for purpose.&#8221;</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c690.2/21" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;The Labour Party should be applauded for grasping the nettle and putting forward a pro-growth, pro-investment package of reforms that will reflect our green ambitions, spur the economic recovery&#8221;.</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c715.0/6" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;just how desperate the need for business rates reform is.&#8221;</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c715.0/8" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;Any can-kicking&#8212;or further business tax rises&#8212;would be seen a lost opportunity by firms of all sizes given the desire from both business and government to really go for growth.&#8221;</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c715.0/10" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;a barrier to investment and cause an unnecessarily large burden to be placed upon businesses regardless of their ability to pay.&#8221;</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c715.0/13" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;failure to act will risk the party losing a string of northern seats at the next election.&#8221;</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c715.0/19" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;working their way back from the cliff edge of permanent closure in the midst of supply shortages, staff shortages, rising staff and operational costs&#8221;.</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c719.2/4" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;hits firms before they&#8217;ve even made a pound in turnover.&#8221;</p>
  
  <p class="indent" pid="c719.2/6" pwmotiontext="yes">&#8220;literally&#8230;a tax on investment&#8221;.</p>