{"id":280270,"date":"2026-04-27T08:29:54","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T08:29:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dominiclevent.com\/blog\/?p=280270"},"modified":"2026-04-27T08:29:54","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T08:29:54","slug":"government-urged-to-reform-growth-killer-business-rates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dominiclevent.com\/blog\/government-urged-to-reform-growth-killer-business-rates\/","title":{"rendered":"Government urged to reform \u2018growth killer\u2019 business rates"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div id=\"\">\n<header class=\"article-header \"><time class=\"date-time__time\" datetime=\"2026-04-27T00:01:00+01:00\"><br \/>\nMonday 27 April 2026 12:01 am <\/time><br \/>\n|\u00a0<span class=\"date-time__updated\">\u00a0Updated:\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\n<time class=\"date-time__time\" datetime=\"2026-04-26T16:12:37+01:00\"><br \/>\nSunday 26 April 2026 4:12 pm <\/time><\/p>\n<\/header>\n<p><!-- Ads Injected --><\/p>\n<p>Britain\u2019s largest industry body has called on the government to urgently reform business rates, which it says is a \u201cgrowth killer\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has said the government should keep its manifesto pledge to reform the business rates system as a matter of urgency.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cityam.com\/people-and-organizations\/business-rates\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Business rates<\/a> is a tax determined by the value of a firm\u2019s property, but recent revaluations of companies\u2019 rateable values have sent bills soaring for many.<\/p>\n<p>The tax has played a major role in cancelled, reduced or delayed investment in the properties of 32 per cent of the CBI\u2019s nearly 700 members, according to a new survey.<\/p>\n<p>The UK has the highest property tax levels in the OECD, according to the CBI, with property tax as a share of GDP more than four times higher than that of Germany.<\/p>\n<div class=\"newsletter-auto-inject\" style=\"margin: 20px auto;\">\n<div id=\"mc_embed_shell\">\n<style type=\"text\/css\"><![CDATA[ #mc_embed_signup { background: #fff; clear: left; font: 14px Helvetica, Arial,sans-serif; width: 100%; max-width: 600px; margin: 20px 0; } #mc-embedded-subscribe-form { margin: 20px 0 !important; } .newsletter-form-flex { display: flex; gap: 0; align-items: center; margin-top: -10px; } .newsletter-form-flex input[type=\"email\"] { flex: 1; padding: 2px 10px; border: 1px solid rgb(18, 22, 23) !important; border-radius: 12px 0 0 12px !important; } .newsletter-form-flex input[type=\"submit\"] { padding: 4px 10px !important; margin: 0 !important; background-color: rgb(18, 22, 23) !important; color: rgb(255, 255, 255) !important; border: 1px solid rgb(18, 22, 23) !important; border-radius: 0 12px 12px 0 !important; } .newsletter-banner-content { margin-bottom: 15px; } .newsletter-banner-content h2 { margin: 0 0 10px 0; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 600; } .newsletter-banner-content p { margin: 0 0 10px 0; line-height: 1.5; } .newsletter-banner-content ul, .newsletter-banner-content ol { margin: 0 0 10px 20px; } .newsletter-banner-content a { color: #0073aa; text-decoration: none; } .newsletter-banner-content a:hover { text-decoration: underline; } .newsletter-banner-content img { max-width: 100%; height: auto; margin: 10px 0; } #mc_embed_signup #mce-success-response { color: #0356a5; display: none; margin: 0 0 10px; width: 100%; } #mc_embed_signup div#mce-responses { float: left; top: -1.4em; padding: 0; overflow: hidden; width: 100%; margin: 0; clear: both; } ]]><\/style>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2 id=\"h-firms-say-they-would-reinvest-tax-savings\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Firms say they would reinvest tax savings<\/h2>\n<p>As many as 76 per cent of CBI members said higher business rates bills suppress investment, while more than half (53 per cent) said uncertainty around their future bills undermines their ability to commit to long-term investment.<\/p>\n<p>The CBI said any savings made by reforms to business rates would be reinvested into the economy. Three in ten of businesses surveyed said they would put between 90 and 100 per cent of business rates savings into new investment.<\/p>\n<p>Firms would use savings from a less burdensome business rates system to invest in productivity, automation, property improvements and recruitment, according to the survey.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"read-more read-more--has-media read-more-auto\">\n<div class=\"read-more__content\">\n<h5 class=\"read-more__label\">Read more<\/h5>\n<h4 class=\"read-more__title\"><a class=\"read-more__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cityam.com\/oecd-tells-reeves-to-reform-inefficient-uk-tax-system\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">OECD tells Reeves to reform \u2018inefficient\u2019 UK tax system<\/a><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>The existing system operates as a \u201ctax on improvement,\u201d the CBI\u2019s members said, because bills often rise after refurbishments, expansions and sustainability upgrades.<\/p>\n<p>Companies also say it is hard to predict what changes to their property will do to their business rates bill, making it hard to plan long-term investments.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-business-rates-penalise-investment\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Business rates \u2018penalise investment\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cThat uncertainty is a growth killer, with vital projects being delayed, scaled back or cancelled,\u201d according to Louise Hellem, the CBI\u2019s chief economist.<\/p>\n<p>The CBI has called on the government to remove a rule that means any changes to the business rates would have to ensure the total revenue from the tax remained the same.<\/p>\n<p>Reform to the tax must \u201cdeliver real relief, not simply shuffle costs from one sector to another,\u201d the industry body said.<\/p>\n<p>The government should also improve transparency around the calculation of tax bills, and remove \u201ccliff edges\u201d within the system.<\/p>\n<p>Hellem said: \u201cBusiness rates are no longer just a cost of doing business \u2013 they\u2019re a major tax on ambition and one that effectively penalises investment.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cReform of the business rates system is no longer a \u2018nice to do\u2019, it\u2019s an economic necessity.\u201d<\/p>\n<aside class=\"read-more read-more--has-media read-more-auto\">\n<div class=\"read-more__content\">\n<h5 class=\"read-more__label\">Read more<\/h5>\n<h4 class=\"read-more__title\"><a class=\"read-more__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cityam.com\/house-prices-drop-as-iran-war-shakes-property-market\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">House prices drop as Iran war shakes property market<\/a><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<footer class=\"article-footer \">\n<div class=\"tags-collection article-footer__tags-collection\">\n<h2 class=\"screen-reader-text\">Similarly tagged content:<\/h2>\n<nav class=\"tags \">\n<h3 class=\"tags__title\">Sections<\/h3>\n<\/nav>\n<nav class=\"tags \">\n<h3 class=\"tags__title\">Categories<\/h3>\n<\/nav>\n<nav class=\"tags \">\n<h3 class=\"tags__title\">People &amp; Organisations<\/h3>\n<\/nav>\n<\/div>\n<\/footer>\n<\/div>\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cityam.com\/government-urged-to-reform-growth-killer-business-rates\/\">Source link <\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/dominiclevent.com\/contact-us\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-14\" src=\"https:\/\/dominiclevent.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/footer-300x100.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dominiclevent.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/footer-300x100.png 300w, https:\/\/dominiclevent.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/footer-150x50.png 150w, https:\/\/dominiclevent.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/footer.png 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><center><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/d\/u\/1\/embed?mid=1w4tN9mf5kVdBXUXTq2KvwE23NmpUzEna\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\"><\/iframe><\/center>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><center><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: 0px #ffffff none;\" src=\"https:\/\/calendar.google.com\/calendar\/embed?src=sc635csnrm8h9s9lq0cad6vkss@group.calendar.google.com\" name=\"myiFrame\" width=\"600px\" height=\"3px\" frameborder=\"1\" marginwidth=\"0px\" marginheight=\"0px\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/center>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><center><\/center><\/p>\n<div>\n<div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.dominiclevent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Business_Solicitors_London.jpg\" width=\"600\" \/><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div>Dominic Levent Solicitors<\/div>\n<div>Email: Enquiries@dominiclevent.com<\/div>\n<div>Phone: 020 8347 6640<\/div>\n<div>Url: https:\/\/www.dominiclevent.com<\/div>\n<div style=\"display: none;\">cash, check, credit card, invoice<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\n<div>1345 High Rd<\/div>\n<div>London, London N20 9HR<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Monday 27 April 2026 12:01 am |\u00a0\u00a0Updated:\u00a0 Sunday 26 April 2026 4:12 pm Britain\u2019s largest industry body has called on the government to urgently reform business rates, which it says is a \u201cgrowth killer\u201d. The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has said the government should keep its manifesto pledge to reform the business rates system &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/dominiclevent.com\/blog\/government-urged-to-reform-growth-killer-business-rates\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Government urged to reform \u2018growth killer\u2019 business rates&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":280283,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-280270","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news1","entry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Government urged to reform \u2018growth killer\u2019 business rates - Dominic Levent Solicitors Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/dominiclevent.com\/blog\/government-urged-to-reform-growth-killer-business-rates\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Government urged to reform \u2018growth killer\u2019 business rates - Dominic Levent Solicitors Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Monday 27 April 2026 12:01 am |\u00a0\u00a0Updated:\u00a0 Sunday 26 April 2026 4:12 pm Britain\u2019s largest industry body has called on the government to urgently reform business rates, which it says is a \u201cgrowth killer\u201d. The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has said the government should keep its manifesto pledge to reform the business rates system &hellip; Continue reading &quot;Government urged to reform \u2018growth killer\u2019 business rates&quot;\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/dominiclevent.com\/blog\/government-urged-to-reform-growth-killer-business-rates\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Dominic Levent Solicitors Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-04-27T08:29:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/dominiclevent.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/london-skyline-from-the-air-5248642-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1707\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"spainops\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"spainops\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dominiclevent.com\/blog\/government-urged-to-reform-growth-killer-business-rates\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dominiclevent.com\/blog\/government-urged-to-reform-growth-killer-business-rates\/\",\"name\":\"Government urged to reform \u2018growth killer\u2019 business rates - Dominic Levent Solicitors Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dominiclevent.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dominiclevent.com\/blog\/government-urged-to-reform-growth-killer-business-rates\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dominiclevent.com\/blog\/government-urged-to-reform-growth-killer-business-rates\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/dominiclevent.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/london-skyline-from-the-air-5248642-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-27T08:29:54+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dominiclevent.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/bacc79b48921539cd8fc642f86d23254\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/dominiclevent.com\/blog\/government-urged-to-reform-growth-killer-business-rates\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dominiclevent.com\/blog\/government-urged-to-reform-growth-killer-business-rates\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dominiclevent.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/london-skyline-from-the-air-5248642-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/dominiclevent.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/london-skyline-from-the-air-5248642-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1707},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dominiclevent.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/dominiclevent.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Dominic Levent Solicitors Blog\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/dominiclevent.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dominiclevent.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/bacc79b48921539cd8fc642f86d23254\",\"name\":\"spainops\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/dominiclevent.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6a2648c0ace71d8dde31f2a9e8b370b694f81d70a3ed9ccfb9ec45550a223943?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6a2648c0ace71d8dde31f2a9e8b370b694f81d70a3ed9ccfb9ec45550a223943?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"spainops\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/dominiclevent.com\/blog\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/dominiclevent.com\/blog\/author\/spainops\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Government urged to reform \u2018growth killer\u2019 business rates - Dominic Levent Solicitors Blog","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/dominiclevent.com\/blog\/government-urged-to-reform-growth-killer-business-rates\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Government urged to reform \u2018growth killer\u2019 business rates - Dominic Levent Solicitors Blog","og_description":"Monday 27 April 2026 12:01 am |\u00a0\u00a0Updated:\u00a0 Sunday 26 April 2026 4:12 pm Britain\u2019s largest industry body has called on the government to urgently reform business rates, which it says is a \u201cgrowth killer\u201d. The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has said the government should keep its manifesto pledge to reform the business rates system &hellip; Continue reading \"Government urged to reform \u2018growth killer\u2019 business rates\"","og_url":"https:\/\/dominiclevent.com\/blog\/government-urged-to-reform-growth-killer-business-rates\/","og_site_name":"Dominic Levent Solicitors Blog","article_published_time":"2026-04-27T08:29:54+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2560,"height":1707,"url":"https:\/\/dominiclevent.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/london-skyline-from-the-air-5248642-scaled.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"spainops","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"spainops","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/dominiclevent.com\/blog\/government-urged-to-reform-growth-killer-business-rates\/","url":"https:\/\/dominiclevent.com\/blog\/government-urged-to-reform-growth-killer-business-rates\/","name":"Government urged to reform \u2018growth killer\u2019 business rates - Dominic Levent Solicitors Blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/dominiclevent.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/dominiclevent.com\/blog\/government-urged-to-reform-growth-killer-business-rates\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/dominiclevent.com\/blog\/government-urged-to-reform-growth-killer-business-rates\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/dominiclevent.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/london-skyline-from-the-air-5248642-scaled.jpg","datePublished":"2026-04-27T08:29:54+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/dominiclevent.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/bacc79b48921539cd8fc642f86d23254"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/dominiclevent.com\/blog\/government-urged-to-reform-growth-killer-business-rates\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/dominiclevent.com\/blog\/government-urged-to-reform-growth-killer-business-rates\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/dominiclevent.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/london-skyline-from-the-air-5248642-scaled.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/dominiclevent.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/london-skyline-from-the-air-5248642-scaled.jpg","width":2560,"height":1707},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/dominiclevent.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/dominiclevent.com\/blog\/","name":"Dominic Levent Solicitors Blog","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/dominiclevent.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/dominiclevent.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/bacc79b48921539cd8fc642f86d23254","name":"spainops","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/dominiclevent.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6a2648c0ace71d8dde31f2a9e8b370b694f81d70a3ed9ccfb9ec45550a223943?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6a2648c0ace71d8dde31f2a9e8b370b694f81d70a3ed9ccfb9ec45550a223943?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"spainops"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/dominiclevent.com\/blog"],"url":"https:\/\/dominiclevent.com\/blog\/author\/spainops\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dominiclevent.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/280270","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dominiclevent.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dominiclevent.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dominiclevent.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dominiclevent.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=280270"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dominiclevent.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/280270\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":280284,"href":"https:\/\/dominiclevent.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/280270\/revisions\/280284"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dominiclevent.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/280283"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dominiclevent.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=280270"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dominiclevent.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=280270"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dominiclevent.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=280270"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}