Amazon could see its tax bill jump by £29m next year as a result of changes to business rates that is set to hit warehouses and online retailers the hardest.
The online retail giant is likely to be among the companies facing big tax hikes in the UK following the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement, according to new analysis from property adviser Altus Group.
Meanwhile, flagship department stores and hotels could shave millions off their tax bills as bricks and mortar retailers receive greater support.
This is because the UK Government is shaking up the business rates system and revaluing more than half a million retail properties across England and Wales.
New rateable values, which are used to calculate the business rates tax, will be based upon property values as of 1 April, 2021.
That means that the pandemic “winners”, such as online retailers, will see a tax hike while the pandemic “losers”, like physical stores, could see their taxes fall.
Amazon’s overall business rates will rise by around £28.75m next year and could cost the online giant about £100m in extra tax over three years, taking into account inflation and before any tax relief is claimed.
Amazon has already reported an escalation in the amount it handed over to the taxman after the pandemic-fuelled online shopping boom.
In July, it said its total tax contribution lifted to £2.77m from £1.55bn a year earlier.
However, Altus warned that smaller occupiers of industrial buildings and warehouses are at risk of financial collapse as a result of tax hikes piled on top of soaring costs.
Its UK president Robert Hayton said: “Most industrial buildings aren’t big sheds occupied by online retailers but house economy incubators, start-ups, and employment-supporting manufacturers.
“It feels like the valuers of the new draft lists have deployed a one size fits all approach, and this could be hugely damaging.”
He added that the “market distortion” following the unusual Covid period is likely to lead to hardship for many already-struggling businesses.
In a letter to Hunt, the UK Warehousing Association said: “The antecedent valuation date of April 2021 is unfair: warehousing was supporting the economy during lockdown and consequently values were disproportionately high compared to other sectors.”
On the other hand, department stores Harrods and Selfridges, which have seen values plummet since the pandemic, could see combined savings of around £15m.
The UK Government said it was addressing the “bricks v clicks” tax imbalance, designed to support the high-street and ensure retailers are not overpaying tax when the value of their property has plummeted.
Furthermore, the Chancellor scrapped a potential online sales tax which was expected to ease the tax burden shouldered by physical stores over their online rivals.
A spokesperson at Amazon said: “We made a total tax contribution of £2.77bn during 2021 – £648m in direct taxes and £2.13bn in indirect taxes.
“Based on analysis from PwC, Amazon ranks in the top 15 largest private sector taxpayers in the UK for taxes borne and collected, as well as for overall total tax contribution.”
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