Press Releases

ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has called on the Government to clarify its position on business rates appeals in response to the publication on a consultation response on business rate reforms.

ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has briefed peers ahead of a debate in the House of Lords on a new Bill which would require local authorities to consult with community stakeholders before putting up parking charges in their area.

A group of organisations representing over 100,000 businesses has written to all MPs expressing concern about the impact that changes to business rates will have on their members in April.

The letter highlights the issues that thousands of businesses are facing as a result of the revaluation, with many due to receive significant increases in their rates bills.

The group is calling for action in the following areas:

ACS has given evidence to the House of Lords Finance Bill sub-committee on the Making Tax Digital proposals, urging the Government to extend the timeframes for transferring business tax accounting onto digital platforms.

The proposals, originally published through six consultation documents in August 2016, aim to introduce a fully digital tax system with the intention of reducing errors in tax reporting.

The Home Office, fuel retailers and police have come together to tackle the £36 million annual cost of fuel theft on the UK’s petrol forecourts.

The impact that fuel theft is having on the sector has sparked industry groups, including the Association of Convenience Stores, the Petrol Retailers Association and the Downstream Fuel Association into action to develop new guidance to support fuel retailers in training their staff to prevent drive offs and report incidents to the police using a new standard reporting form.

The Association of Convenience Stores has called on the government to help secure the future of the UK's 19,128 rural shops, allowing them to continue to provide essential services like the Post Office for customers that would otherwise be isolated.

The report reveals that rural shops are often the only place where customers in their local area can get essential goods and services. More than half of rural stores (59%) operate entirely on their own, with no other retail/service businesses close by.

ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has welcomed a report from the House of Commons Treasury Select Committee which calls on the Government to delay the implementation of mandatory digital tax reporting.

In the report, the Committee states that the initially proposed timetable of April 2018 for most businesses to be reporting tax digitally is over-ambitious, and could result in unnecessary costs and administrative burdens for businesses.

Other recommendations in the report include:

Convenience store retailers have made record investments in their business over the last three months ahead of expected price rises in the New Year and despite rising costs, according to new research from ACS.

Over the last three months, retailers have invested almost £300m on measures to improve their business, with the total amount invested in 2016 reaching £838m.

ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has responded to the PRS for Music consultation on the simplification of the PRS retail tariff, raising concerns that the changes will hit the smallest shops the hardest.

Under the proposals, any business that previously had a reduced rate for having a small audible area (by broadcasting through a single radio or television) will incur a £51.50 increase to their rates each year.

ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has called on the Government to focus on tackling obesity through a partnership approach with retailers and suppliers, rather than instead of imposing a levy on soft drinks.  ACS has responded to the government’s consultation on the introduction of the levy.

The Government’s proposals would see soft drinks with a sugar content of 8g per 100ml or more taxed at 24p per litre, while drinks with 5g to 8g of sugar per 100ml will be taxed at a lower rate of 18p per litre. The plans will exclude pure fruit juices and milk-based drinks.