Asda to continue paying Business Rates in full

Asda has confirmed it will continue to pay Business Rates in full during 2021-22 and will not accept the offer of rates relief announced today by the Chancellor in his Spring budget.

This decision follows Asda’s move last December to pay business rates of £333m for 2020-21 in full to the UK Government (and Devolved Administrations) waiving the relief it received to fight the Covid-19 pandemic – noting that it felt the relief should be used by local businesses who needed it most. As well as ensuring its stores were Covid safe for its colleagues and customers, Asda also recruited more than 22,000 temporary colleagues to cover absences and increased demands in stores at the height of the pandemic, without using the Government’s furlough scheme.

**Roger Burnley, Asda CEO and President, said: *“***We have always sought to support colleagues, customers and communities during the pandemic and will continue to do so as long as Covid remains a threat. There are clearly many industries and businesses that have been hard hit by the pandemic and we hope that by continuing to pay business rates in full this year this we can continue to support the nation’s economic recovery from the pandemic.”