Pharmacies deserve better – end the unfair disparity in business rates relief

In response to the government announcement that all pubs and live music venues will benefit from a 15% business rates relief, with bills also being frozen in real terms for a further two years, we have released the following statement to the press:

Our CEO Janet Morrison said:

“Unlike GP practices and dental surgeries, the business rates that community pharmacies pay are not reimbursed by the NHS. We want to see this unfair disparity ended, with pharmacies either having their costs fully covered, or given the same rates relief as other healthcare providers. Pharmacies are unable to pass these overheads on to NHS patients via higher prices, so their funding must fully account for them and for all other costs associated with providing NHS services.

As outlined in our recent letter to the Pharmacy Minister, the Committee’s top priority in the upcoming CPCF negotiations is a plan to close the funding gap, with proper indexation for activity and inflation – we will be bringing all relevant topics and evidence, including the business rates disparity, to those discussions.”

Further information

Pharmacy pressures: tax rises are driving closures across the country