Business rates plans under fire; IN ASSOCIATION WITH Rensburg Sheppards.

PRIVATE sector lobby group Downtown Liverpool in Business (DLIB), has criticised Government proposals to allow local authorities the opportunity of levying an additional business rate from 2010.

In last week's Queen's Speech, the Government put forward a proposal that would allow councils to raise business rates by up to 2p in the pound to fund economic development projects.

DLIB chairman Frank McKenna said: "I cannot think of a worse time to announce such a measure.

"When we should be doing all we can to restore confidence and boost support to the private sector, here we have a further stealth tax, the Supplementary Business Rate, for businesses to face.

"Local councils will not be able to resist levying this additional tax, and this is another example of the Government failing to act in a joined-up way."

Liverpool City Council has said it would not introduce such a measure until it had consulted with the business community.