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Business Rate Supplements Bill

My hon. Friend is right. There were moments when the previous Mayor of London had flashes of insight with which I agreed. He genuinely attempted to hold his hand out to the business community. He was right to say that Crossrail was a one-off; it is a one-off, because of its scale and complexity, the sums that have to be raised, and its implications. I do not have any problem with saying that it should be treated in that way. I know that Labour Members will say—I can see them working up to it already—that the measure somehow deprives other parts of the country of an opportunity. I have to say that if I were running a small or medium-sized business in another part of the country, I would not, in the current circumstances, welcome the opportunity to have more taxation placed on me through the imposition of a levy. Now, when businesses are going broke, is not the time to do that.