Petition · past parliament

Exempt empty commercial properties from business rates due to Covid-19

Closed 127 signatures

What the petition asks

The Government should exempt empty commercial properties from business rates during and after the Covid-19 outbreak. Empty rates were originally brought in to ensure that empty properties are returned to economic use
We believe they are currently being utilised as nothing more than a revenue raising tool by local authorities, at a time when many commercial property holders are unable to complete work on properties or put them on the market. This is to the detriment of economic regeneration.

Paying empty rates restricts the availability of funding to pay tradesmen and other workers, and in fact works against the principle of their purpose - bringing property back into economic use.

Timeline

19 Aug 2020 Petition opened for signatures
19 Feb 2021 Closed to new signatures

Key facts

Signatures 127
Status Closed
Opened 19 Aug 2020
Closed 19 Feb 2021

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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.