Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he is taking steps to prevent banks from providing (a) financial and (b) investment support to business which derive income from industrial livestock companies with low animal welfare practices.
Answered by Bim Afolami - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The UK has a world-leading record on animal welfare, and the government has introduced a range of measures to ensure animals receive the care, respect, and protection they deserve. This includes providing grants to farmers towards capital equipment that improves animal welfare and banning the export of live animals for fattening and slaughter. The government has recently announced its intention to consult on proposals to strengthen animal welfare labelling in the food sector.
We are also protecting animals abroad by banning the import of hunting trophies from endangered animals and the advertisement of unacceptable low-welfare animal practices abroad.
The decisions about what products are offered and to whom remain commercial decisions for banks and building societies.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what fiscal steps his Department has taken to help support recruitment in the hospitality and tourism industry.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
Hospitality and leisure businesses will be supported by our Spring Budget employment package which aims to provide the workforce they need to thrive. In addition, these sectors will benefit from business rates support worth £13.6bn over the next five years which includes a more generous of the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure (RHL) relief scheme which is increasing from 50% to 75% in 2023-24. We have also increased the Draught Relief duty differential.
The government has also contributed to various successful campaigns to stimulate the tourism sector’s recovery, including VisitBritain’s latest multi-million pound international GREAT campaign "See things Differently" which ran from February until June 2023, positioning Britain as a dynamic, diverse and welcoming destination.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has made a recent assessment of the extent to which business rates applicable to (a) small and (b) large businesses which mainly operate through physical premises adequately reflect their business costs.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
The recent revaluation of business rates, which came into effect on 1 April 2023, ensures rateable values, and therefore bills, more accurately reflect current market values. The Government is legislating for more frequent revaluations, from every 5 years to every 3 years, a key stakeholder ask which will permanently make the system fairer and more responsive for all ratepayers.
The Government has also announced a package worth £13.6 billion over the next five years to support businesses with the revaluation, including:
Regarding small businesses, the Government has continued its generous Small Business Rate Relief scheme which means over a third of properties (720,000) pay no business rates at all, with an additional 76,000 in the taper benefitting from reduced bills.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the business rates revaluation increased business rates for shops that had a rateable value of (a) above and (b) below £51,000.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
The 2023 business rates revaluation will update ratable values to ensure bills more closely reflect the commercial property market and means the burden of rates is fairly redistributed across all non-domestic properties. Total business rates paid by the retail sector is estimated to fall by 20 per cent as a result of the revaluation.
At Autumn Statement 2022, the Government announced a package of changes and tax cuts worth £13.6 billion to ratepayers over the next five years. The package contains new measures to reduce the burden of business rates, including a freeze in the multiplier, extended relief for high street businesses, an exchequer funded transitional relief scheme, and targeted support for small businesses.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make it his policy to regularly update mileage and fuel rates and allowances in line with the cost of using a vehicle for work.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Approved Mileage Allowance Payments (AMAPs) are used by employers for administrative ease as a means of reimbursing an employee’s expenses for business mileage in their private vehicle.
Like all taxes and allowances, the Government keeps the AMAP rate under review.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he plans to meet with meet with Baroness Kate Rock to discuss the recommendations on taxation made in her Tenancy Working Group Report.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
The Government is considering the recommendations on taxation made in the Rock Review. The Government will publish a formal response to the review in due course.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the additional costs associated with sight loss and the potential merits of providing targeted cost of living support to those affected.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Government recognises that the rising cost of living has presented additional financial challenges to many people, and especially to the most vulnerable members of society, such as people with sight loss. That is why the Government is taking decisive action to support households while ensuring we act in a fiscally responsible way.
At Autumn Statement 2022, the Government announced that it will provide a further Disability Cost of Living Payment of £150 in 2023/24 to people in receipt of extra-costs disability benefits such as Personal Independence Payment (PIP) or Disability Living Allowance (DLA). This is additional to the £150 payment for recipients of disability benefits in 2022 already announced as part of the Cost of Living package in May.
These payments can be received in addition to the other Cost of Living Payments for households on means-tested benefits, namely the £650 payment announced in May and the additional £900 payment announced at Autumn Statement. Individuals who have limited or no ability to work because of their disability or health condition, and are in receipt of means-tested benefits such as income-related Employment and Support Allowance or the Universal Credit Health top up, are eligible for this support.
People with sight loss will also benefit from other forms of non-means-tested support which the Government is providing to assist with household energy bills. We have taken decisive action to support millions of households with rising energy costs through the Energy Price Guarantee, which limits the price suppliers can charge customers for units of gas and electricity.
This cost of living support is in addition to the existing specific financial support to help blind or partially sighted people. The Government provides the Blind Person's Allowance (BPA), an extra amount of tax-free allowance that can be added to an individual’s Personal Allowance, to those who are blind or severely sight impaired. In 2022-23, the allowance is £2,600 and therefore worth £520 given the basic rate of 20%. If the recipient does not pay tax or earn enough to use their full BPA, the remainder of the allowance can be transferred to a spouse or civil partner.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of temporarily increasing the VAT taxable turnover threshold from £85,000 to help small businesses with the rise in the cost of living.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The UK has the highest VAT registration threshold in the OECD and as compared to EU Member States at £85,000. This keeps the majority of UK businesses out of VAT altogether.
Whilst the Government keeps all taxes under review, it was announced at Budget 2021 that the VAT threshold will be maintained at its current level of £85,000 until 31 March 2024.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will bring forward proposals to increase council tax by up to 100 per cent on second homes.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
It would not be appropriate to comment on the likelihood of future tax changes outside of fiscal events. However, the Government keeps all tax policy under review.
It is worth noting that purchases of second homes in England and Northern Ireland will be liable to pay the Higher Rates for Additional Dwellings Stamp Duty Land Tax surcharge. This was introduced in 2016 as part of the Government’s commitment to support first time buyers.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of the Stamp Duty holiday on the number of second homes purchased in rural communities.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The temporary increase in the Stamp Duty Land Tax nil rate band was designed to create immediate momentum within the property market, where property transactions fell by as much as 50 per cent during the COVID-19 lockdown in March. The downturn in the market meant that the future was uncertain for many people whose jobs relied on custom from the property industry. Since July, the SDLT holiday has supported about 640,000 residential property transactions in England and Northern Ireland.
Purchases of second properties are still liable to pay the higher rate of SDLT for additional dwellings, which is three percentage points above the standard rates.