One of Britain’s most high-profile retail landlords has backed calls for higher taxes on online retailers to relieve the pressures of the “out of date” business rates regime on the country’s struggling high streets.
Brian Bicknell, chief executive of Carnaby Street owner Shaftesbury, called for a “level playing field” between shops and online shopping websites such as Amazon, which typically occupy much cheaper property and pay much less in rates as a result.
Bicknell told the Telegraph: ”People do feel that traditional bricks and mortar is being penalised and the rating system was probably out of date 50 years ago.”
