Extracts from Lords statement on the Local Government Finance Settlement - Dec 19
Wednesday, 20 December 2017 08:14
Lord Beecham (Lab):...First, how far have the Government got in
developing a system for equalising—or, at any rate, balancing—the
distribution of business rates? Secondly, are they now looking at
the position of firms such as Amazon with large
out-of-town premises, paying next to nothing in business rates and,
for that matter, probably diminishing the return of business rates
in local authorities with this new economy that is forming? Will
the Government look at the implications...Request free trial
(Lab):...First, how far
have the Government got in developing a system for equalising—or,
at any rate, balancing—the distribution of business rates?
Secondly, are they now looking at the position of firms such
as Amazon with large out-of-town premises,
paying next to nothing in business rates and, for that matter,
probably diminishing the return of business rates in local
authorities with this new economy that is forming? Will the
Government look at the implications of that for financing local
government, as well as perhaps in other respects?
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State,
Department for Communities and Local Government and Wales Office
(Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth) (Con):...The noble Lord
referred to the broader question, which has been raised before,
perfectly validly, of online shopping and the fact that there are
some very large players such as, but not limited
to, Amazon. He suggested that it is perhaps a
question of rebalancing some of the ways that we raise money. I
will cover that in a letter, if I may, but from memory I think that
there is an international aspect to this issue that kicks in in the
spring—there is reference to this issue and we are participating in
that. I appreciate that that is a rather woolly reference, but I
will clarify it in correspondence...
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