Jerry Schurder, head of business rates at property consultancy Gerald Eve, said: “This Budget showed a spectacular lack of ambition from the chancellor, who has missed a gilt-edged opportunity to grasp the nettle of business rates reform, and it is UK plc that will suffer as result.
“New reliefs will be welcomed by the lucky few, but in truth the £435m of new assistance was no more than knee-jerk tinkering designed to take the edge of the worst rises and secure some positive headlines. The measures give the impression of a government that is listening to business, but are actually a pathetic attempt to kick the issue into the long grass.”
