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Bira welcomes Wales' business rates proposals but calls for key improvements

11 Jun 2025

Bira has welcomed the Welsh Government's consultation on business rate reforms for retail shops, whilst calling for significant improvements to ensure the proposals truly support high street... Read more…

New awards launch to champion Britain's independent high street heroes

9 Jun 2025

Retailers on Britain's high streets are being encouraged to put themselves forward for the first-ever Love Your High Street Awards, designed to celebrate the small businesses that bring... Read more…

"Tectonic shift" in employment law threatens independent retailer viability, warns Bira podcast

6 Jun 2025

Independent retailers are facing a "generational" transformation of employment law that could fundamentally change how small businesses operate, according to the final episode of Bira's first... Read more…

Retailers hope warm weather and bank holidays will boost high street sales

16 May 2025

ACT parent company Bira has said that members are hopeful the warm weather, Easter weekend and upcoming bank holidays will provide a much-needed boost to high street sales.
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Economic growth surges to 0.7%, but "April reality check" looms for high street retailers

15 May 2025

UK economy delivers strongest quarterly performance in a year despite forecasts of business downturn.
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Communities come together for Local Bike Shop Day 2025 celebrations

13 May 2025

Local Bike Shop Day 2025 brought a wave of... Read more…

ACT parent company Bira welcomes Bank of England's latest interest rate cut

8 May 2025

ACT parent company Bira has welcomed the Bank of England's decision to reduce interest rates from 4.5% to 4.25%, calling it a "much-needed boost" for the retail sector, including for cycling... Read more…

ACT parent company Bira responds to Beales' "Rachel Reeves Closing Down Sale" as iconic store makes final protest

8 May 2025

ACT parent company Bira has responded to the news that the 144-year-old Beales department store is staging a "Rachel Reeves Closing Down Sale" in its final weeks of trading, with giant yellow... Read more…

Employment Rights Bill - ACT and Bira answer your questions

28 Apr 2025

The Labour Government’s new Employment Rights Bill is set to be in force this year and the new regulations will impact high street retailers up and down the country.
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ACT parent company Bira welcomes Chancellor's action on unfair trade practices

25 Apr 2025

ACT parent company Bira welcomes the Chancellor's announcement of plans to create a level playing field for British businesses against unfair international trade practices.
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Energy Bill Relief Scheme for businesses to continue to end of March 2023, Chancellor confirms

Posted on in Business News, Cycles News

The new Chancellor of the Exchequer, Jeremy Hunt, has confirmed in a statement that the Energy Bill Relief Scheme for businesses will continue to the end of March 2023 as planned.

Jeremy HuntHowever, the Chancellor has ordered a Treasury-led review into how to provide energy support to individuals and businesses from April 2023. The Chancellor stated that support should be targeted to businesses that need help most. Businesses are being urged to complete the government’s survey here.

Mr Hunt’s statement included several other announcements regarding last month’s mini-budget.

The Chancellor also announced that:

  • The basic rate of income tax, which was due to be cut to 19%, will now remain at 20%
  • The scrapping of the rise to corporation tax has been abandoned. Corporation tax will rise to 25% in April 2023
  • Reforms to IR35, off-payroll employee pay, and dividend tax reforms have been dropped
  • The introduction of VAT-free shopping for tourists visiting the UK has been scrapped
  • The freezing of alcohol duty rates has been scrapped
  • The 1.25% rise to National Insurance Contributions, to fund the Health and Social Care Levy, will be dropped as planned
  • The Annual Investment Allowance, Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme and Company Share Options Plan will go ahead as planned

The Chancellor will publish the government’s fiscal rules with an OBR forecast, and further economic measures on 31st October 2022.

In his statement, the Chancellor said:

"Any support for businesses will be targeted to those most affected and the new approach will better incentivise energy efficiency."

"The most important objective for our country right now is stability. Governments cannot eliminate volatility in markets, but they can play their part, and we will do so because instability affects the prices of things in shops, the cost of mortgages, and the values of pensions."

"There will be more difficult decisions, I'm afraid, on both tax and spending as we deliver our commitment to get debt falling as a share of the economy over the medium term."

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