THE Welsh Government will be providing an additional £116m package of non-domestic rates relief for businesses in the sectors most directly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Rebecca Evans MS, Minister for finance and local government said retail, leisure and hospitality ratepayers in Wales will receive 50 per cent non-domestic rates relief for the duration of 2022-23.  

Like the scheme announced by the UK Government, the Welsh Government’s Retail, Leisure and Hospitality Rates Relief scheme will be capped at £110,000 per business across Wales.  

Ms Evans MS said: "To ensure businesses in Wales are sufficiently supported, and reflecting the nature of our tax base, we have invested an additional £20m on top of the consequential funding received from the UK Government.  This is in addition to our permanent relief schemes that provide over £240m of relief every year.

"This extended retail, leisure and hospitality relief scheme, in combination with our existing permanent relief schemes, will ensure that over 85,000 properties in Wales are supported in paying their rates bills in 2022-23." 

The Welsh Government is also announcing a freeze of the non-domestic rates multiplier in Wales for 2022-23. 

This decision will ensure, prior to applying any reliefs, that there will be no increase in the amount of rates which businesses and other ratepayers pay next year.