THE TOP RETAIL BOSSES BACKING OUR CAMPAIGN
TESCO CHIEF EXECUTIVE DAVE LEWIS
‘BUSINESS rates in the UK are the highest in the developed world, way higher than anywhere else in Europe . . . it’s certainly not a level playing field. It’s the largest single tax that we pay.’
ICELAND MANAGING DIRECTOR RICHARD WALKER
‘OUR rates bill has gone up every year over the last decade. Having a vibrant high street is part of our culture and history.’
WATERSTONES CHIEF EXECUTIVE JAMES DAUNT
‘THE relief for small businesses is minuscule. High business rates can lead to a tipping point, with these desolate high streets where all the shops are empty.’
POUNDLAND MANAGING DIRECTOR BARRY WILLIAMS
‘IT WOULD be great if business rates were resolved and parking charges were reviewed — all those kinds of things — to create a level playing field for high street retailers.’
FAST FOOD CHAIN LEON FOUNDER JOHN VINCENT
‘HIGH street businesses are closing because of the increases in business rates, and those that are not closing have mostly stopped investing in new sites. Sales are not down; it is tax increases and other legislation that is killing the industry.’
WETHERSPOONS CHIEF EXECUTIVE TIM MARTIN
‘PUBS pay too much compared to supermarkets. Combined with VAT inequality — whereby pubs pay 20 per cent on food sales and supermarkets almost nothing — the combination is resulting in intolerable pressure.’
STONEGATE PUB COMPANY CHIEF EXEC SIMON LONGBOTTOM
‘IN MANY areas, rates are now as expensive as rents, which hinders high street regeneration.’
M&S CHIEF EXECUTIVE STEVE ROWE
‘BUSINESS rates are an unfair burden of taxation directly contributing to the challenges the high street is facing. These challenges will continue until the system is reformed to create a level playing field between high street and online retailers.’
SAINSBURY’S CHIEF EXECUTIVE MIKE COUPE
‘THERE is an advantage for those without bricks and mortar operations, so there’s a strong case for a level playing field in business rates and taxation more generally. Businesses like ours with lots of property face a bigger burden than others.’