East Lancs MPs in business tax protest

11:13am Tuesday 5th August 2008

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TWO East Lancashire Labour MPs have joined a back-bench protest over the government’s business tax policy.

Hyndburn MP Greg Pope, and Janet Anderson, who represents Darwen and Rossendale, have signed an early-day motion about the decision to charge full business rates on empty commercial property from April 2008.

Owners of empty industrial buildings now have to pay full rates after six months, having previously been given full relief.

And office and shop owners had their relief totally cut from 50 per cent.

Mr Pope and Mrs Anderson are among around 35 MPs to sign the motion, led by Halifax member Linda Riordan, which says the move will hit local businesses hard in the current tough economic climate.

It urged the government to reintroduce ‘empty property relief’ in response to the “world economic downturn”.

It says: “The withdrawal of the relief is having unintended consequences such as creating unnecessary financial hardship for people with small businesses, compromising regeneration schemes and constraining the supply of affordable commercial property.”

The British Property Federation is also campaigning against the move.

Liz Peace, the federation’s chief executive, welcomed the MPs’ intervention.

She said: “This shows the growing discontent over the removal of empty rate relief.”