Getlink threatens legal challenge over UK business rates rise
After a sharp increase in property-related taxation, Channel Tunnel owner Getlink says it is no longer willing to commit new investment in the UK. The dispute centers on business rates that the company says have nearly tripled in three years despite no change in the tunnel infrastructure.
Highlights
- Getlink faces a business rates increase from £40 million to £118 million annually over three years without infrastructure changes, prompting legal action threats.
- Chief Executive Yann Leriche states combined UK business rates and corporate tax cause Getlink to pay 69 pence on every new pound of UK revenue, halting new investments.
- Getlink's stance adds to warnings from business groups that rising UK taxes increase inflation risk and threaten broader private sector investment incentives.
Tax dispute and legal response
In a statement, Getlink said the near tripling of its business rate over three years comes without any change to its infrastructure and with no clear justification.Eurotunnel, owned by Paris-based transport and infrastructure operator Getlink, runs car and lorry train services through the Channel Tunnel between England and France. Chief Executive Yann Leriche says the company is facing an increase in its rateable value from 40 million pounds a year to 118 million pounds a year, and told BBC Radio that it has no choice but to use every legal option available to challenge the change.
Leriche also told the Financial Times that, once business rates and corporate taxation are combined, Getlink will pay 69 pence on every new pound of revenue generated in the UK. The company says that level of uncertainty means it is not willing to invest in the UK.
Wider pressure on UK business costs
Getlink's warning adds to broader concern among business and employer groups that the cost of operating in the UK is reaching a tipping point. Those groups argue that higher taxes feed inflation and risk weakening investment incentives across the economy.Earlier in June, Confederation of British Industry Chief Executive Rain Newton-Smith said business is not a cash tap that can be turned on without consequence. Britain's tax office says its valuation methods are long established and reflect the specific facts of each property, adding that ratepayers can challenge valuations and, if necessary, appeal to the independent Valuation Tribunal.
Our earlier article on Getlink’s planned legal challenge over Channel Tunnel business rates explained that the company is contesting a proposed tripling it calls unjustified and damaging to operations. It warned the higher levy could undermine the viability of cross-Channel passenger and freight services and add pressure to a strategically important UK–Europe transport link.
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