Major retailers hand back £1.8bn in business rates relief - Andy Burnham wants the money to help millions excluded from government support during pandemic
direct to your inboxCalls have been made for almost £2bn in business rates relief handed back by major retailers to be used to help millions of workers excluded from financial aid during the Covid-19 pandemic.Supermarket chains Tesco, Asda, Aldi, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, and B&M have agreed to repay a combined £1.8bn tax break funded through the public purse.Tesco chairman John Allan said the company was ‘conscious of our responsibilities to society’ and hoped the money would go to businesses and communities in need.Andy Burnham, mayor of Greater Manchester, has described the windfall as a ‘golden opportunity’ for Chancellor Rishi Sunak to support 2.9 million people who have fallen through the cracks of government support.They include the