Henry Gregg, Chief Executive of the National Pharmacy Association said:
“It’s simply outrageous that the Government should offer business rate relief to pubs but ignore pharmacies that play a vital health role on thousands of our high streets.
"This increase will push some pharmacies to the brink of collapse.
“Pharmacies are essential to their communities but the government have taken a decision today to prioritise pubs over the health needs of millions of people who use pharmacies every day.
"It’s an insult to hard pressed pharmacists who are still struggling under the effects of historic NHS underfunding that simply isn’t sufficient to pay inflated business rates, medicine prices and their other bills.
"Pharmacies are not like pubs, cafes or restaurants. They receive 90 per cent of their funding from the NHS and cannot simply increase their prices for the nations prescriptions to absorb this eye watering increase.
"Denying pharmacies the business rate support that is available to GPs and other parts of the NHS is yet another example of them being treated as second class citizens in our health service. We should treat dedicated servants of our NHS better.”
