Crime, tax and business rates on agenda as industry lobbies senior MPs

Business rates and crime were among the concerns voiced to ministers when industry representatives met with politicians last month.

At last week’s Labour Party Conference, NFRN national president Ray Monelle met shadow chancellor John McDonnell to explain concerns over business rates. McDonnell agreed to meet with the NFRN again for further discussions.

Suleman Khonat of the Tobacco Retailers’ Alliance and Will Pryce of the NFRN also met with Jeremy Corbyn during the conference. Pryce showed the Labour leader a copy of the NFRN’s ‘Victims in Retail’ booklet, which details the multi-million pound cost of retail crime to the sector.

Meanwhile, the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) called for a simplified tax system in a meeting with new chancellor Philip Hammond.

“We also raised the importance of the Treasury delivering the business rates reforms announced in the March budget,” said Mike Cherry, FSB national chairman.