Business rates misery adding to High Street woes - The Yorkshire Post says

But in addition to retaining the support of customers, another vital element in ensuring companies can survive and thrive on the high street is a fair system of taxation, one which does not become an unsustainable form of expenditure that forces them into either raising their prices or shutting down altogether.

The latter scenario is said to be unfolding in town and city centres across the country by John Allan, president of the Confederation of British Industry, who has said “unsustainable” business rates have been partly to blame for the spate of high street closures.

Mr Allan told business leaders in London yesterday that one of the central problems is uncertainty around timetables rate revaluations, which he argued often lag well behind economic cycles and property cost rises; eventually “pulling the rug” from under successful areas and punishing already-struggling areas by exacerbating the problem of empty premises.

He gave the extraordinary example of how companies which take environmentally-friendly measures such as installing solar panels face an increase in their rates.

A recent Government-ordered review of the challenges facing high street retailers gave only fleeting mention to the issue of business rates and its impact on companies; the time has come for a rethink.