Give British bookshops cultural exemptions from business rates
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High Street bookselling is under pressure. Unless the inequities in the business rates system is addressed, 275 towns in this country could lose their bookshops
Bookshops enjoy none of the financial benefits that are afforded to Amazon, and yet they give so much back and they play by the rules… as caring employers and by paying their dues to the exchequer
Bookshops are Wealth-Creators… Every £1 spent in a bookshop generates a further £1.91 in the local economy. Together the booksellers of Britain contribute £1.9 billion to the UK economy
Bookshops are Jobs Creators… Employing 24,000 people directly and supporting a further 22,000 jobs in the wider industry
Bookshops Pay Their Taxes… The amount contributed to the exchequer by booksellers each year is enough to pay the salaries of 5,000 fully qualified nurses
Bookshops are Cultural Assets… They launch and build the careers of authors; they champion reading for pleasure and affect lives; they are pivotal in their communities; they bring vitality to their high streets
Business Rates dispensation has been given to pubs in recognition of their community value with qualifying pubs getting a £1,000 discount on their annual rates
Booksellers bring both community value and cultural value to their towns and should be given the same exception