The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has stressed that returning to locally controlled business rates will prove disastrous for the retail sector.

Retailers have started a campaign against the return of the rates. They believe the government plans to squeeze more money from the industry in a bid to solve problems with local funding.

The BRC believes a return to locally controlled business rates could prove disastrous for retailers. Nigel Smith, BRC director of corporate social responsibility, said: “Returning to local business rates would mean returning to an inconsistent and ineffective system that in the past, proved a failure. Charges fluctuated massively from one council to another and major discrepancies ended with business and local government at loggerheads with each other - we cannot let this happen again.

“Government has muddled its way through changes to local government funding and rather than solving problems of their own making, they are looking to pass further burdens onto business.”

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