A letter to local authorities confirms amendments that the government has made to the eligibility criteria for Supporting Small Business Relief, a scheme available in England.
Eligibility for the relief has been aligned with the treatment of vacancy and reoccupation under Transitional Relief.
Under the updated rules, a change of ratepayer or a period of vacancy after 31 March 2026 will not affect eligibility for the Supporting Small Business Relief scheme. Eligibility will still be lost if the property becomes occupied by a charity or a Community Amateur Sports Club.
The change has been made to reflect the fact that the relief is intended to mitigate business rate bill increases as a result of revaluation. The change has been backdated to 1 April 2026.
The Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, has announced an expansion of the British Business Bank’s (BBB) Growth Guarantee Scheme (GGS). This provides a 70% government guarantee on commercial loans to SMEs of up to £2 million, cutting credit risk.
The government is consulting on potential measures that target Electronic Sales Suppression (ESS). Proposals include the introduction of new software standards for Point of Sale systems. Electronic Sales Suppression (ESS) involves businesses using software or devices to manipulate Electronic Point of Sale (EPOS) systems to hide transactions and evade tax.
