Future Of British Business
UK Loses Tax-Registered Businesses for the First Time Since 2011
Closed down retail spaces in Newton Aycliffe, UK.
Photographer: Joanne Coates/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
The number of UK businesses registered to pay VAT and employee taxes has fallen for the first time in a decade, reflecting a surge in post-Covid insolvencies and cost-of-living pressures.
A total of 2.73 million businesses were signed up in March 2023 to pay so-called Value Added Tax or Pay As You Earn, the system used to collect income tax and National Insurance from employees, the Office for National Statistics said Wednesday. This was down 1.5% from the same time a year ago.