Further to WAQ76826, will the Cabinet Secretary provide more detail on his considerations to better target rate relief for businesses - including what criteria is being considered, and what areas of consideration are being discussed with which Cabinet colleagues?
Our permanent Small Business Rates Relief (SBRR) scheme came into effect in April this year. This incorporates a number of changes better to target the scheme, including additional support for the childcare sector. Alongside these changes, additional funding has been provided for relief for community energy projects, to extend our High Street Rates Relief, and to enable local authorities to use their powers to provide discretionary relief to support local businesses and ratepayers.
We consulted on changes to the scheme in 2017 and when the outcome of that consultation was announced, I also outlined a number of other areas for further exploration. These included how SBRR could be developed to target support for certain sectors or types of business which support the delivery of the Welsh Government’s policy aims, for example the priorities identified in the Economic Action Plan, and limiting the general period of relief so that we can redirect resources to provide greater help to businesses during the early period of their establishment and growth. More detail is given in the summary of responses to the consultation at:
https://beta.gov.wales/sites/default/files/consultations/2018-02/171213-tax-cut-responses-en.pdf
The Welsh Government’s aim is to provide support for those businesses that contribute most to our ambitions in Prosperity for All. I will discuss proposals with Cabinet colleagues at each step of the policy-making process.
I am also committed to helping businesses and other local taxpayers through improvements which reduce the administrative duties for ratepayers and by addressing abuse so that everyone pays their fair share. My intention is to take a progressive, fair and transparent approach towards local taxation in Wales which continues to provide a stable source of vital funding for local services.