Catherine Fookes, MP for Monmouthshire, is calling for a 20 per cent reduction in business rates for high street businesses, alongside a cut in VAT to 10 per cent for hospitality businesses, supporting VAT’s The Problem campaign.This forms part of her wider campaign to support local high streets and help town centres across Monmouthshire thrive.

Mrs Fookes said that supporting local high streets has been one of her priorities since being elected, and that conversations with businesses across the county have highlighted the rising cost of running a business as one of the biggest challenges they face. Earlier this year, Catherine launched a campaign to help bring long-term empty units back into use across Monmouthshire. She says the next step is ensuring existing businesses have the support they need to thrive.

Mrs Fookes said:"It goes without saying that our high streets and town centres are the hearts of our communities. The small businesses that fill them are essential to our local economy, they bring people together and must be supported as much as possible.I have already launched a campaign to help fill empty units, but through speaking to so many fantastic small business owners across Monmouthshire, one thing has become very clear - the cost of running a business is simply too high.I believe reducing business rates and VAT for our highstreetbusinesses would make a huge difference, giving businesses more room to breathe and the confidence to invest and grow.

“Over the coming months, I will be lobbying both the UK and Welsh Governments to deliver these changes as soon as possible.”

As part of this call, the MP has launched a petition, calling on the Welsh Government to reduce business rates which anyone can sign here: https://www.catherinefookes.com/business-rates-petition Catherine has already written to the new UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham, asking for the UK Government to look at reducing VAT, highlighting the calls from the ‘VAT's The Problem’ campaign.

The UK currently has a 20 per cent VAT rate for hospitality, making it one of the highest rates in Europe. European competitors have significantly lower VAT rates for hospitality businesses. Germany’s rate is as low as 7 per cent, while France, Italy and Spain all have a 10 per cent rate.