House of Commons – Nov. 25, 2024 – 46

I beg to move an amendment, to leave out from “That” to the end of the Question and add: “this House observes that the Autumn Budget 2024 has cut central Government funding for retail, hospitality and leisure business rate relief in 2025-26, and that this Government funding will end completely in 2026-27;

expresses concern that the Non-Domestic Rating (Multipliers and Private Schools) Bill represents a stealth increase in business rates on high streets and the hospitality sector, as well as on larger businesses, on top of the Government’s increases in National Insurance contributions;

regrets the lack of a proper cumulative impact assessment on the effect on business;

notes that the removal of charitable rate relief on independent schools, taken together with the imposition of VAT, will mean fewer children going to private schools and will therefore create extra pressure on state schools, will undermine aspiration and parental choice, and mean larger class sizes in state schools and increased costs for taxpayers;

and therefore declines to give a Second Reading to the Non-Domestic Rating (Multipliers and Private Schools) Bill.”