Business rates are broken. Here is how we fix them.

Ros Morgan | 29th March 2026 | Comment
Ros Morgan is the Chief Executive of Heart of London Business Alliance
Ros Morgan is the Chief Executive of Heart of London Business Alliance

Business rates are not just a spreadsheet-style economic problem, they are having serious effects on our high streets, writes Ros Morgan

There are few areas of public policy where the gap between political rhetoric and economic reality is as stark as in business taxation. Across Westminster, there is broad consensus on the need to support enterprise and revitalise high streets. This Government's stated primary objective is to stimulate stronger economic growth. The last one promised repeatedly that it was on the side of business. Yet the way we tax businesses is increasingly at odds with those objectives. This is not a niche concern confined to any one sector or region. It is a national issue, affecting millions of firms, damaging town centres and shaping the trajectory of the UK economy at a moment of profound uncertainty. The UK is, by any measure, a nation of businesses. At the start of 2025, there were around 5.7 million private sector enterprises operating across the country, the overwhelming majority of them small and medium-sized firms. These businesses are the backbone of the economy, accounting for ro...

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