Overview

• An interim Treasury report opened consultation on reforms to remove business‑rates “cliff edges,” including changes to Small Business Rates Relief that can penalise firms when they open a second site.
• Officials are considering a surtax on properties with a rateable value above £500,000 to finance permanent support for smaller retail, hospitality and leisure premises, with the government saying fewer than 1% of properties would pay more.
• The British Retail Consortium warned that up to 400 large-format stores could be at risk of closure and as many as 100,000 jobs lost, urging the Chancellor to exclude big shops from the new band to avoid higher costs and local revenue hits.
• Technical options under review include moving from a slab to a slice‑based marginal system and extending improvement relief, alongside changes enabled by the VOA–HMRC merger and a revaluation cycle due to restart in April.
• Final decisions are due at the Autumn Budget on 26 November, following retailer meetings with the Chancellor and after this April’s cut in the temporary retail, hospitality and leisure discount from 75% to 40% raised many firms’ bills.