Oldham Lib-Dems demand business tax reduction

Taxing Land, Not Investment calls for the abolition of business rates and its replacement with a tax on land values

Oldham Liberal Democrats have published a comprehensive blueprint for replacing the broken business rates system, as they propose to cut taxes for the town's businesses by 26%.
 
Councillor Howard Sykes MBE, Leader of the Opposition and Liberal Democrat Group on Oldham Council, has described the plans as “exactly the sort of policy we need to boost local investment and ensure businesses in Oldham thrive”.
 
The report – Taxing Land, Not Investment – calls for the abolition of business rates and its replacement with a tax on land values, the Commercial Landowner Levy (CLL).
 
The levy would remove buildings and machinery from calculations and tax only the land value of commercial sites, boosting investment and cutting taxes for businesses.

Liberal Democrat members, including Councillor Sykes, voted to support the proposals at their party’s Autumn Conference in Brighton last week.

Councillor Sykes added: “Time and again I have heard concerns about the devastating impact of business rates is having on struggling high streets and the wider local economy. 
 
“It is the responsibility of the current Conservative Government to ensure that our businesses are able to thrive, but ministers are not doing anywhere near enough.
 
“Liberal Democrats demand better. 

"That is why we are campaigning to create the environment needed for local businesses to grow and create jobs in Oldham.”

The full report can be found at: https://www.libdems.org.uk/taxingland-notinvestment

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