英国住房大臣安吉拉·雷纳近日表示，工党政府已将振兴陷入困境的城镇“高街”列为优先事项，并承诺选民将在下届大选前看到改善 1。这一表态正值财政大臣约翰·希利在其首份预算中宣布拨款超过10亿英镑，以支持零售、酒店和休闲行业之际 1。希利计划通过提高赌博和电子烟商店的税收，在未来两年内资助一项价值10亿英镑的商业税率减免方案，该减免措施预计将于明年4月起正式生效 1。
尽管政府已启动58亿英镑的“地方自豪感”计划以及2.1亿英镑的废弃建筑改造基金，试图缓解企业和家庭面临的压力，但市场现状依然严峻 1。知名零售商 Poundland 的业主已提交任命管理人的意向通知，这一举动威胁到多达12,000个工作岗位 1。针对当前局势，前英国央行首席经济学家安迪·霍尔丹建议对在线销售征收比实体店购买更高的税，以促进公平竞争 1；而工党领袖安迪·伯纳姆在竞选期间曾承诺将复兴被忽视的城镇中心置于其执政议程的核心 1。
Angela Rayner has stated that voters will witness tangible improvements in Britain’s struggling high streets before the next general election, positioning the revitalization of town centers as a priority for the Labour government 1. To support this objective, Chancellor John Healey allocated more than £1 billion in his first budget to assist retail, hospitality, and leisure businesses 1. This funding initiative includes plans to reduce business rates for these sectors starting in April of next year, with the costs to be covered over the following two years by increasing taxes on gambling and e-cigarette shops 1.
Despite these financial measures, significant challenges remain within the sector. The owners of Poundland have submitted a notice of intent to appoint administrators, a move that threatens up to 12,000 jobs 1. Furthermore, experts have criticized the policy targets as imprecise, while former Bank of England chief economist Andy Haldane has proposed imposing higher taxes on online sales compared to physical store purchases to ensure fair competition 1.
In response to concerns about the effectiveness of current interventions, Rayner highlighted the substantial resources already deployed by the government. She noted the launch of the £5.8 billion "Pride in Place" program and a separate £210 million fund dedicated to repurposing abandoned buildings 1. Emphasizing the immediate impact of fiscal relief, Rayner remarked, "We have invested £5.8 billion... from April next year, the business rate cuts will take effect" 1. This approach aligns with earlier commitments made by Andy Burnham during his campaign for prime minister, which placed the revival of neglected town centers at the core of his political agenda 1.
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