Public Houses: Business Rates
The question
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to encourage (a) investment and (b) growth in the beer and pub sector through reforming business rates.
Answered by James Murray
To deliver our manifesto pledge, from 2026-27, we intend to introduce permanently lower tax rates for retail, hospitality, and leisure (RHL) properties, including pubs and breweries, with rateable values below £500,000. This permanent tax cut will ensure that they benefit from much-needed certainty and support.
This tax cut must be sustainably funded, and so we intend to introduce a higher rate on the most valuable properties on 2026-27 - those with Rateable Values of £500,000 and above. These represent less than one per cent of all properties, but cover the majority of large distribution warehouses, including those used by online giants.
The Government also published the ‘Transforming Business Rates’ Discussion Paper at Autumn Budget setting out priority areas for reform. This paper invites industry to help co-design a fairer business rates system that supports investment and is fit for the 21st century. Further information regarding the Discussion Paper can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/transforming-business-rates.
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