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It is just spin, all talk & no action. Rents are high, but business rates are the killer. I am a shop owner & landlords who have any sense are dropping rent to allow shop owners to stay. One of my neighbors is paying £2500 a month in rent, yet his rates are £3000 a month. This is because his landlord put him on a profit based rent. He asked the valuation office who set the rates to lower his valuation, but they declined as the rates are set on a valuation in 2008 when the shop was actually empty! The rating system is totally inflexible. Other shop owners are on free rental periods just so they dont leave. Rates never go down & we get next to nothing for them. Why does France & Germany have thriving small independent shops? Because they are not taxed like us shop owners in this country.

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