Retail Trade: Business Rates
The question
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to her Department's policy paper entitled Effects of the business rates retail, hospitality and leisure multipliers and high-value multiplier, 26 November 2025, what is the equivalent cost to the £270 million estimate for the surcharge on distribution warehouses on the retail sub-sector.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson
The Government has introduced new permanently lower multipliers for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) properties. These new multipliers are worth nearly £1 billion per year and benefit over 750,000 properties. The RHL multipliers are being paid for through a high-value multiplier on the top one per cent of most expensive properties, including many large distribution warehouses, such as those used by online giants.
The Government expects total bills paid by the retail sector to be lower in 2026/27 compared to 2025/26.
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