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| 12/03/2008 | BCSC WELCOMES CAUTIOUS BUT ECO-FRIENDLY BUDGET |
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Retail property organisation BCSC welcomes the proposed measures to simplify the tax system for business, the pledge of more funding for training and skills, and measures proposed to tackle climate change and reduce carbon emissions outlined by Alastair Darling in his first budget announced to Parliament earlier today (12 March). The budget includes policy changes to simplify the tax system and support for businesses, including a cut in corporation tax from 30 to 28 per cent from April of this year. The chancellor also announced reviews on ways to simplify anti-avoidance legislation, VAT and corporation tax along with a package of 20 simplification measures. Martyn Chase, BCSC President comments: “In the current economic climate, it is important that the Government continues to help support businesses so that they can focus on growing and innovating. The retail and retail property industry is hugely important to the economy – employing 10 per cent of the workforce - and in spite of gloomy retail spending forecasts the industry is continuing to support the local economies of our towns and cities. There are 14 new schemes opening this year across the UK - totalling more than £4 billion of investment." The chancellor also outlined a number of initiatives on training, skills and employment. These include the promise of a further £60 million over the next three years to get more adults back into the labour market through apprenticeship and training schemes, more employer involvement in the skills training system via the new UK Commission on Employment and Skills, as well support to help those on incapacity benefit get back into work. “BCSC takes training and education very seriously, we welcome any measures to improve the skillset of the UK workforce which is vital to maintaining the growth of our economy” continues Martyn Chase. “BCSC already has plans to develop the involvement of shopping centres with community education, particularly schemes designed to ensure that local people are more fully aware of the importance of education and training to their future. I want people to have every opportunity to benefit from the new jobs created as a result of our sector’s investment. We are already working closely with Government and Business in the Community to achieve this.” In perhaps one of the greenest budgets ever delivered, Alastair Darling also outlined new targets to reduce carbon emissions and encourage the use of renewable energy as well as tax relief to encourage development on brownfield sites. In addition, the chancellor put the onus on retailers to introduce a charge on plastic bags - otherwise legislation will be introduced by 2009. Chase adds: “BCSC already promotes sustainability and climate change issues. Through the creation of our Sustainability Charter, we are encouraging our members to look at a range of sustainability factors from water and energy saving to recycling and community engagement. We will be working alongside our members from the retail property industry as well as retailers to look at how we can practically meet some of these new targets. “However, while the requirement for all new-build domestic buildings to be carbon zero by 2019 is a welcome aspiration, we would like to see more of a focus on energy-saving incentives for existing commercial buildings, which constitute a much higher proportion of carbon emissions than new-builds.” |
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