Authors Urge Business Rates Relief for Bookshops

Independent booksellers and authors are urging the government to extend business rates relief to bookshops, warning that rising bills could put some shops at risk of closure.

A total of 234 independent booksellers have signed an open letter organised by the Booksellers Association, calling on the prime minister and the chancellor to give bookshops the same consideration as other businesses that play a significant, positive role in their communities.

The campaign follows the government's announcement last month of a 20% reduction in business rates for pubs, clubs, and live music venues from April 2027.

More than a dozen authors have expressed their support for the letter, including children's laureate Patrice Lawrence, Adam Kay, Lemn Sissay, Anthony Horowitz, Patrick Ness, Donna Ashworth, and Rachel Joyce.

The letter, sent on 13 August, states that bookshops were "deeply disappointed" to learn they would not be included in the additional relief. "The government has accepted that businesses which deliver significant community benefit deserve targeted support. Bookshops clearly meet that test."

The authors argue that business rates relief for bookshops would also provide a meaningful legacy for the National Year of Reading. "The government is rightly telling the country that reading matters. But as things stand, its legacy risks being contradictory: promoting reading on the one hand while implementing policies that reduce investment in bookshops and may contribute to their closure on the other."

Independent bookshops are seen as the beating hearts of high streets and communities, and their loss would be a significant blow to culture and access to fresh thought and new ideas.

The Treasury has argued that bookshops already receive support through permanently lower business rates multipliers and a £4.3bn package intended to limit increases in bills.

However, analysis commissioned from economic consultancy Cebr found that independent bookshops in England that are not eligible for full small business rates relief face an average annual increase of £4,563 by 2029-30, with some bills expected to double when transitional relief ends.

Across the sector, business rates receipts are projected to increase by 45% nominally. For the average independent bookshop, Cebr estimates this would require selling an extra 1,141 books a year to cover the additional cost.

The impact is already being felt, according to separate Booksellers Association research, with 85% of independent booksellers saying they are less likely to invest in stock, staffing, events, or their premises as a result of business rates changes.

Philip Pullman, author of the His Dark Materials series, said that independent bookshops are "lighthouses" in the current corporate landscape, and that restricting high-street businesses deemed as negative is "only half the job". "You can't rebuild Britain's high streets by tackling the wrong businesses while making it harder for the right ones to succeed," he said.

Laura McCormack, the Booksellers Association's head of policy and public affairs, added that bookshops are not just businesses, but also community hubs that provide a vital service to their customers.

| Author | Occupation | |-----------------|----------------------| | Patrice Lawrence| Children's Laureate | | Adam Kay | Author | | Lemn Sissay | Author | | Anthony Horowitz| Author | | Patrick Ness | Author | | Donna Ashworth | Author | | Rachel Joyce | Author |

## Authors Supporting the Campaign

More than a dozen authors have expressed their support for the campaign, including:

* Patrice Lawrence, children's laureate * Adam Kay, author * Lemn Sissay, author * Anthony Horowitz, author * Patrick Ness, author * Donna Ashworth, author * Rachel Joyce, author

## The Impact of Business Rates Changes

The impact of business rates changes is already being felt, with 85% of independent booksellers saying they are less likely to invest in stock, staffing, events, or their premises as a result of business rates changes.

According to analysis commissioned from economic consultancy Cebr, independent bookshops in England that are not eligible for full small business rates relief face an average annual increase of £4,563 by 2029-30, with some bills expected to double when transitional relief ends.

Across the sector, business rates receipts are projected to increase by 45% nominally. For the average independent bookshop, Cebr estimates this would require selling an extra 1,141 books a year to cover the additional cost.

## The Campaign for Business Rates Relief

The campaign for business rates relief is led by the Booksellers Association, with over 234 independent booksellers signing an open letter to the prime minister and chancellor.

The letter argues that bookshops are not just businesses, but also community hubs that provide a vital service to their customers. It also highlights the impact of business rates changes on the sector, and calls on the government to extend business rates relief to bookshops.

The authors of the letter, including Maggie O'Farrell, Philip Pullman, and Katherine Rundell, argue that business rates relief for bookshops would also provide a meaningful legacy for the National Year of Reading. "The government is rightly telling the country that reading matters. But as things stand, its legacy risks being contradictory: promoting reading on the one hand while implementing policies that reduce investment in bookshops and may contribute to their closure on the other.