Claims extracted
16
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
12%
2 of 16 hedged
("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
Leans left
of the writing, not the subject · beta estimate
Publisher signals
65/100
Evening Standard's corrections and
hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
5
Economy/Business
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
High street support pledged but gambling firms set to pay the price
Chancellor John Healey has unveiled further support for Britain’s embattled high streets, with plans to pay for it by hitting gambling firms with more tax hikes and launching an online sales tax crackdown.
Gambling firms will see duty on machine games with stakes over £1 rise from 20% to 25% from April next year to help pay for an extension of business rates support for a raft of high street businesses.
asserted
duty → pledge → businesses
But the duty hike is far less than first feared, sparking investor relief across the sector after initial expectations the tax would be doubled.
asserted
tax → fear → expectations
The Chancellor said he would increase the threshold for 100% small business rates relief for hard-hit retail and hospitality firms from £12,000 to £18,000, with tapered relief from £21,000, up from £15,000.
asserted
he → say → 15,000
This will mean an extra 70,000 firms taken out of paying business rates altogether, he added.
asserted
he → mean → rates
A further 3,500 pubs, 3,900 restaurants, 2,200 cafes and 1,700 hairdressers and beauty salons will be exempted from paying business rates, according to the Treasury.
uncertain
pubs → exempt → Treasury
The total package of measures will mean that half of all retail and leisure firms in England will not pay business rates and around 110,000 will see property tax bills fall next year.
asserted
bills → mean → rates
Online marketplaces are required to collect VAT on sales made by overseas businesses to UK customers, but some foreign firms have been said to use shell companies to bypass the rule.
asserted
firms → require → rule
The Government will now tackle non-compliance by making marketplaces also responsible for collecting VAT on sales by UK businesses, where those businesses are making more than £90,000 of sales through their platforms, taking effect from October next year.
asserted
businesses → tackle → October
The Government warned it would also “continue to explore how the business rates system could better target online retailers in ways that minimise any indirect impacts for wider retail businesses, to fund support for the high street”.
uncertain
that → warn → street
While investors in gambling firms were relieved the tax hikes did not go further, Entain criticised the machine games hit as “another disappointing decision” and cautioned it would see it fork out an extra £25 million a year.
asserted
it → relieve → million
It comes on top of increases to gambling taxes at last November’s budget.
asserted
It → come → budget
But Entain said betting shop closures, cost cutting and other plans would help “fully mitigate” the machine games duty hit by the end of 2028.
asserted
closures → say → 2028
Stella David, chief executive of Entain, said: “The previous gambling tax increases announced in November last year have already had detrimental consequences across the industry, with the effects being felt by employees, communities as well as customers.
asserted
effects → say → employees
“These additional tax changes will further compound that damage and push more people into the growing illegal market.”
asserted
changes → compound → market
Treasury calculations show the machine games duty will boost tax coffers by £135 million in 2027-28, peaking at £150 million in 2028-29.
asserted
duty → show → 2028
The online marketplace sales tax crackdown will bring in an extra £165 million in 2027-28, rising to £320 million in 2028-29 before easing back to a £265 million gain in 2031-32.
asserted
crackdown → bring → 2031
The Aporia
