Government
The latest news, updates and analysis on the government and what it is doing that affects the UK retail industry. Sign up to the Daily Briefing and let Retail Sector’s business journalists keep you in the picture.
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Mar- 2019 -14 March
B&Q to stop selling wildlife-harming pesticide
B&Q owner, Kingfisher has announced it will become the first retailer to stop selling wildlife-harming pesticides ahead of a government ban next year. The DIY retailer will remove the products from its 1,200 stores and from its online retail arm. The move comes following a government decision last December which…
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12 March
Digital Services Tax extended to include 2% ‘Amazon tax’
High streets government minister, Jake Berry, has promised to extend the Digital Services Tax to include a “2% tax on online retail” to save Britain’s high streets. Berry confirmed that the tax, announced at last October’s Autumn Budget, would be extended to online retailers saying if the government cannot secure…
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1 March
Business rates appeals drop under ‘complicated’ system
Businesses are struggling with the new ‘check challenge appeal’ (CCA) business rates appeals system, according to rating experts at Colliers International, commercial real estate agency and consultancy. New figures released by the government show that in the 21 months between 1 April 2017, when the new system for appealing against…
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Feb- 2019 -21 February
MPs call for business rates reform to save high street
The housing, communities and local government committee has said “dated policies” and an “unfair tax regime” needed reforming to allow high streets and town centres to flourish in its report into the future of the UK high street. The report highlighted the disparity between taxes paid by bricks-and-mortar retailers and…
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20 February
Retailers ‘trying to water down’ bottle deposit scheme
Environmental groups have accused retailers of trying to ignore calls for a catch-all deposit of more than 15p on plastic drinks containers. The deposit scheme is currently being discussed by ministers who are trying to decide which bottle sizes would be included in the plans. Environmentalists say both large and…
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19 February
Majority of shoppers say Brexit won’t affect spending
A survey of over 2,000 consumers conducted by PwC has shown that more than 60% of respondents said Brexit will not and has not affected how much they will spend for the year ahead. The findings in PwC’s 2019 Retail Outlook revealed respondents in the north east of the country…
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18 February
BRC hits out at HMRC over ‘unreasonable’ pay rules
The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has demanded HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) ceases action against retailers who have breached pay rules deemed “no longer fit for purpose” by the trade body. Retailers called the minimum wage regulations and chasing from the taxman “unreasonable” while the regulations are under review by…
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1 February
MPs launch business rates inquiry
The Treasury Committee has launched a new inquiry into business rates to scrutinise how government policy has impacted high street businesses. The committee will examine how business rates policy has changed, including business rates retention, alternatives to property-based taxes, such as the proposed digital services tax. Nicky Morgan MP, chair…
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Jan- 2019 -28 January
Online retail tax could be unlawful under EU rules, Treasury warns
The government has said taxing online giants, like Amazon, through a sales tax could be illegal under EU rules. Under European Union State aid rules it is illegal for EU countries to give financial advantage to some companies and not others in a way which could distort fair competition. The…
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16 January
Build-A-Bear lowers UK trading expectations due to ‘significant’ Brexit challenges
Build-A-Bear has announced it has lowered its trading expectations for the UK due to “significant” challenges posed by uncertainty around Brexit. The retailer identified the EU’s GDPR laws as some of the factors causing uncertainty in its UK business. A statement by Build-A-Bear said its “sales decline will be largely…
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