Businesses in west Oxfordshire have consistently spoken of a challenging trading environment with multiple firms having closed in 2025. READ MORE: Oxfordshire councillor asks whether potholes are prioritiesAlthough the rise in NI has caught headlines, businesses in west Oxfordshire and around the country are also facing increases in business rates, a property-based tax directed at non-domestic buildings. A Freedom of Information request has revealed that the amount west Oxfordshire businesses are paying in business rates could be over double what it was five years ago and a third higher than last year. Witney Sewing Centre, the last store of Cotswold Sewing Centres, has shut down(Image: Google)Though West Oxfordshire District Council collects the tax it keeps only a minority of the takings. In 2021-22 (a Covid-impacted year) £29.6million was taken in west Oxfordshire and in 2024-25 £44.2 million was taken.