James Evans MS has called on the Welsh Government to use its taxation powers to better support high street businesses, warning that rising costs are forcing small firms to make difficult choices that could lead to job losses and further decline in town centres.
Speaking in the Senedd, James highlighted the impact of the UK Government’s recent rise in national insurance contributions and the pressure this has placed on already struggling small businesses, alongside existing business rate burdens.
In response, the Cabinet Secretary for Finance Mark Drakeford MS pointed to the Welsh Government’s current £335 million package of non-domestic rates support, which ensures nearly half of ratepayers pay nothing at all. He also highlighted a 12-week consultation launched last month to explore the use of differential rate multipliers, a new power that, if implemented, would allow the Welsh Government to offer targeted support to high street retail businesses for the first time.
James Evans MS said:
“With the recent increase in national insurance contributions and continued business rate pressures, many small high street businesses are facing very difficult choices, either let people go or raise prices, both of which harm our local economies.
“I asked the Welsh Government to be clear on how it plans to use its taxation policy to support jobs and keep our town centres alive. Small businesses need more than warm words, they need action.
“We cannot afford to lose more high street shops. They are the backbone of our communities and vital to the future of our towns and villages.”
