Recognise and protect independent businesses in law, lower VAT, and fix business rates — before it’s too late.

Independent cafés, shops, pubs, restaurants, to name a few are more than businesses — they are the heartbeat of the places we call home. They provide common ground for friends and strangers alike, reduce loneliness, and create spaces where people feel seen, connected, and part of something bigger. But rising costs, corporate dominance, and government neglect are pushing many of these locally owned businesses to the brink. When they close, it’s not just the business that disappears — it’s the connection, the identity, and the everyday magic of our towns.

This petition comes in direct response to the latest UK Budget — A Budget that talked about supporting small businesses while quietly increasing the rateable values behind business rates — a change that will see sharp increases in business rates for independent businesses from April over the next three years. A change presented as “relief” on one hand, while the other hand took it straight back.

At the same time, VAT remains at 20%, one of the highest rates in Europe for hospitality, retail, and service businesses — a rate that is suffocating family-run independents already operating on razor-thin margins.

Meanwhile, global corporations avoid paying their fair share. Amazon alone was estimated to have avoided £575 millionin UK corporation tax last year. The result? A two-tier economy where real entrepreneurs are penalised, and global giants are rewarded.

If we fail to act now, Britain’s cities, towns, and neighbourhoods risk becoming hollow — dominated by delivery vans, chains, betting shops, vape stores, and empty units. The small places that bring us together — the pubs where we celebrate, the cafés where we reconnect, the barbers and bookshops where we feel known — will disappear. And with them goes our sense of community, belonging, and local identity.

We are calling on the UK Government to urgently:

1. Reduce VAT for independent businesses Lower VAT for hospitality, retail, and leisure independents — to 15% or lower — to prevent mass closures and give small businesses a fair chance to survive.
2. Reform the outdated business rates system Stop punishing physical, community-serving businesses while online giants thrive. Independents need a rebalanced, modern rates system that reflects today’s economic reality.
3. Legally recognise and protect independent businesses — so communities aren’t an afterthought, and are protected for future generations.

Independent businesses are not asking for handouts — they are asking for fairness.

• They create local jobs.
• They keep money circulating in our communities.
• They support local suppliers.
• They give our towns life, character, and culture.

But right now, they are being taxed out of existence.

Sign this petition and help force the change Britain desperately needs to save its soul.