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Home : More : Start-up News

Home secretary hints at U-turn on business rates

Home secretary Alan Johnson has gone against the official government line on business rates by hinted that retrospective billing could be scrapped.

Revenue and Customs branch the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) made the decision to impose backdated charges on Britain’s 1,600 port companies last year.

According to a report in The Telegraph newspaper, Johnson, the MP for West Hull and Hessle, wrote to a constituent business director last week suggesting he was looking into reopening the issue that could hit port firms with a retrospective tax bill of more than £200m.

In his letter reprinted in The Telegraph to Jason Cross, a director of Sitos Commodities, Johnson says “This is to confirm that...I am looking again with colleagues at whether there is an opportunity to reopen this issue with a view to achieving our objective, which is that the new rates should apply from 2010."

He further admitted that the issue had already cost jobs, including 90 at Scandinavian shipping line, DFDS Tor Line.

Last week, directors of 22 port businesses, including P&O, Volkswagen and DFDS wrote to the business secretary Lord Mandelson and accused him of “not caring” about looming job losses which are expected to stem from backdated taxes demands.

Caroline Spelman, shadow local government secretary, said: "The government is now in disarray, given senior cabinet ministers are breaking ranks to warn of the looming catastrophe for firms in ports."

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