No more tinkering with the tax system say Liverpool businesses
Tony Reddin September 26th 2025
25 September 2025: Ahead of the Labour Party conference starting in the city on Sunday, businesses in Liverpool say that they have had enough of tax hikes that impact their companies and their workforce and now is the time to share the burden with others.
Tony Reddin, Liverpool based tax partner at MHA said:
“Uncertainly still looms large over the local businesses we talk to as well as across the country. The NIC rises that were introduced in April this year has meant that many businesses have had to defer pay rises for staff and freeze any new recruitment. This is now being accentuated by the return of higher energy costs and global economic volatility."
"Nowhere is that squeeze being felt more acutely than in hospitality and leisure which is a vital sector for the local economy here in Liverpool. Those companies are facing a perfect storm of rising costs with no relief in sight.”
“We know there are no easy targets for the Chancellor to raise the large sums that she and the Government need to balance the books but we would urge her on behalf of local and UK businesses not to look again at employers who are the engines of economic growth to plug the fiscal gap."
“She should also be aware of unintended consequences. The implications of the NIC rule changes were not thought through properly in terms of the long-term impact on the economy. Similarly, many of our private clients are concerned about the potential imposition of taxes on main residences. Not because it will directly impact them on day one but because of the trickle-down effect it could have in damaging the housing market.”
“And whatever she does let’s have no more tinkering of the rules for the sake of tinkering. Uncertainty and a lack of stability might create more work for advisers but they are not good for businesses and the people who run them.”
