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Written question asked by Valerie Vaz (Labour) on Wednesday, 28 January 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 2 February 2026 (named day). It was answered by Dan Tomlinson (Labour) on Monday, 2 February 2026 on behalf of the Treasury.

Bookshops: Business Rates

Question

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has assessed the potential impact of the proposed changes to business rates on small independent bookshops.

Answer

At the Budget, the VOA announced updated property values from the 2026 revaluation. This revaluation is the first since the pandemic, which has led to significant increases in rateable values for some properties as they recover from the pandemic.

To respond to those who are seeing large increases, Government has already acted to limit increases in bills, announcing a support package worth £4.3 billion package at the Budget.

The Government is also introducing new permanently lower tax rates for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) properties. These new tax rates are worth nearly £1 billion per year and will benefit over 750,000 properties.

The Government published information on the effects of the changes to business rates made at Budget 2025 here: Effects of the business rates retail, hospitality and leisure multipliers and high-value multiplier - GOV.UK

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
109085
Session
2024-26
Subjects
Business rates Bookshops
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk