Taxation cuts for pre-budget report 2008, demands BRC

Date: 19th November 2008

Business taxation cuts must feature in the pre-budget report, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) has demanded.

Retail companies and jobs will be put at risk if the government pushes ahead with increase costs in light of deteriorating trading conditions, the consortium has claimed.

According to the BRC, taxation cuts must not be restricted to a personal level and should also be applied to the business start-up sector, which has been hit hard in recent months.

Stephen Robertson, director general of the BRC, said: "The government should revise its plans to batter retailers with a range of extra burdens which can only increase the pressure on them.

"The chancellor must use the pre-budget report to reduce present and future costs."

Reinstatement of relief on empty commercial property taxation is another policy which the BRC is hoping to see at the pre-budget statement.

Chancellor Alistair Darling's pre-budget report will take place at 15:30 GMT next Monday (November 24th).