Booksellers urge Labour to reform 'unfair' business rates

Booksellers have called on the new Labour government to review “unfair” rates that “cripple small businesses”.

Kate Skipper, chief operating officer at Waterstones, said: “We look to the new government to prioritise further reform to the deeply flawed business rates system to allow town and city centres to thrive.” 

She added: “The business rates system is out-of-date, unfair and damaging to the health of high streets and the local communities they serve. Reform will encourage effective regeneration and job creation at the local level.”  

Sam Taylor, co-founder of Max Minerva’s bookshop in Bristol, told The Bookseller: “I hope we see investment in public and school libraries, more focus on arts and creativity in schools, and a recognition of the importance of the creative industries to our economy.”

He added: “As for bookselling, I’d like to see business rates to be reviewed; they cripple small businesses and contribute to the hollowing out of high streets—how independent bookshops pay more per square foot than Amazon warehouses is baffling.”

Taylor said he “doubted any of [the above] will come quickly though” and warned it will take “a long, long time to repair and replace all that’s been damaged and lost over the last 14 years”.

Meryl Halls, managing director of the Booksellers Association, said the BA was looking forward to working with the new Labour government “on a range of improvements for high streets and the business landscape promised in its manifesto”.

Halls added that she hoped to work with the other book trade bodies “in engaging with Labour Ministers and officials to continue conversations on the issues of particular importance to books and culture, such as copyright and AI”.

She added: “More than anything, we look forward to working in a functioning political system after a long period of uncertainty and distraction.”