proposals to Chancellor for Spring Budget

UKWA submits

UK treasury sources have suggested that the Chancellor is planning a ‘slimmed down’ Spring budget on March 15, with no tax cuts. Instead, stabilising the economy and boosting growth will be top priorities as the government seeks to re-establish confidence within the business community. Accordingly, UKWA has prepared a detailed submission of key requirements for the Warehousing sector, which is a vital part of that business community.

UKWA has prepared a Spring Budget Submission with four key proposals:

· Business Rates are unfair to Warehousing

UKWA is asking the Chancellor to reconsider how business rates are calculated for warehouses and to increase the level of transitional support.

· The untapped potential of solar UKWA is calling for the so-called ‘super- deduction’ first-year 50% tax-break to be extended to at least 2030 to support warehouses in installing solar panels.

· Extending Energy Bill Relief

While The Energy Bills Discount Scheme (EBDS) continues energy bill support for businesses, this is at a reduced rate. UKWA is requesting more support in this area for warehousing – and particularly for temperature controlled facilities whose bills rise in the summer months.

· Support for skills

UKWA CEO Clare Bottle says: “Warehousing is one of the fastest growing sectors in the UK, together with the wider logistics community, we contribute £139 billion Gross Value Added (GVA) to the UK economy, with an estimated one in ten workers in the private sector employed within our industry.