Originally written by Timothy Adler on Small Business
Businesses are calling for further support to help them stave off collapse following the government’s shock imposition of Tier 4 on Saturday.
Specifically, business lobby groups are calling for the business rates holiday to be extended for another 12 months from January, VAT relief and additional direct support for businesses forced to shut.
Business rates are currently due to restart from April, which will cost already punch-drunk companies £12.8bn during 2021, according to property adviser Altus Group.
>See also: Bounce Back Loan Scheme extended until the end of March
Non-essential shops, hairdressers and leisure and entertainment venues were forced to close yesterday after Boris Johnson’s abrupt announcement on Saturday afternoon to enforce new Tier 4 restrictions amid concerns about a more virulent coronavirus strain spreading rapidly in London and the South East.
Health secretary Matt Hancock suggested yesterday Tier 4 will stay in place until the vaccine programme has sufficiently immunised the population – which could take months. There is now talk of Tier 4 being imposed until Easter.
Meanwhile, all non-essential shops in Wales will shut from Boxing Day when it mirrors England’s Tier 4 restrictions, while Scotland and Northern Ireland also go into their own three-week and