Business

UK's Labour Pitches 'Stable' Corporate Tax Environment

British business investment has fallen behind other leading nations in recent years.

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British business investment has fallen behind other leading nations in recent years.

Business

UK's Labour Pitches 'Stable' Corporate Tax Environment

British business investment has fallen behind other leading nations in recent years.

Share this article

Britain's opposition Labour Party, ahead in opinion polls, said on Monday it will launch a review into business taxes with the aim of creating a stable environment for investments, a chronic weak spot in the economy.

Opinion polls currently put the Labour Party, led by Keir Starmer, around 20 points ahead of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's Conservatives, with the next national election expected in 2024.

Labour criticised the Conservative government's "chaotic" approach to business taxation, marked by several changes to corporate tax rates and incentives in recent years that the party says has deterred investors who seek stability.

British business investment has stalled since the 2016 Brexit vote, lagging behind peers France, Germany and the United States over the same time frame, according to data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Labour said its finance spokesperson Rachel Reeves will deliver a speech on Tuesday to manufacturing association Make UK that will outline its plans for the review of business taxes.

The party said it rejected calls to cut corporation tax, adding that Britain should move in lockstep with the rest of Group of Seven economies while offering targeted allowances to boost investment.

Labour's focus on investment comes ahead of the Conservative government's annual budget on March 15, to be presented by finance minister Jeremy Hunt.

A previously announced increase in the headline rate of corporation tax, from 19% to 25%, is due to come into force in April. Hunt has said he wants to cut business taxes, but only once the public finances allow it.

"In recent years, corporation tax has gone up and down like a yo-yo while the government has papered over the cracks with short-term fixes like the super-deduction," Reeves said in an extract of her speech.

"So it's no wonder businesses are unable to plan and our investment rates are cratering."

Labour said its review would look at how the tax system can incentivise businesses to direct profits into investment, rather than a short-termist focus on share buy-backs and dividends.

It said its tax plans would comprise a long-term framework to give businesses certainty over government policy over a period of years.

In a move that drew comparisons with the Labour government of the 1960s, Sunak last month launched a ministry for science, innovation and technology, part of his ambition to create the world's "next Silicon Valley" in Britain.

(Reporting by Andy Bruce; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta)

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UK's Labour Pitches 'Stable' Corporate Tax Environment

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