SCRAPPING business rates and replacing them with a ‘landowner levy’ would help breathe new life back into Bromsgrove High Street.
Dr David Nicholl, Lib Dem hopeful, says his party’s policy would take the cost from businesses and place it onto the landowner to support commercial ventures.
The Lib Dems say taxing landowners rather than businesses, 500,000 small businesses across the country would be spared the burden of property taxation.
The party’s David Nicholl, speaking to the Standard on Wednesday on the day of the Lib Dems’ manifesto launch, said: “Many retailers and small businesses are under pressure from economic uncertainty, the rise of online retail and the burden of business rates.
There are no less than 16 empty shops on Bromsgrove High Street alone.
“For too long our High Street shops have been paying high rates of tax, whereas Amazon and the like get away with paying very little.
“Yet this Conservative Government is failing to get to grips with the crisis facing our high streets.
“Time and again they have promised reviews of business rates but have failed to take action.“
Visit https://www.libdems.org.uk/plan to read the Liberal Democrats’ manifesto.
