Non-domestic rates have been an important part of the local government finance system for more than 30 years, raising more than £1.1 billion annually, and this is not a trivial contribution to the funding required to sustain the local services that we all rely on, nor, indeed, is it a trivial contribution to the Welsh Government's annual budget. But we have to remember that every single penny goes back into supporting local authorities and the public services that they provide. I do recognise that ensuring that vital revenue is collected to fund those local services that we all use, and securing the fair and sustainable contribution from ratepayers is a challenging balance to achieve. But I do challenge those who would like to see us go even further than we already do—and we already provide a great deal of support—to say which of those public services you would want to see cut or reduced to accommodate that extra support, because that is the honest choice that we're facing when we have these conversations. I don't think it's enough to say that we should just use existing resources better, because that doesn't really engage with the enormity of what's being asked. These are open conversations that we should be having about priorities, and I'm open to having those conversations. 

But, over recent years, we have capped the increases in the multiplier. Between 2018-19 and 2020-21, we have used the lower measure of inflation, the consumer prices index, to moderate annual uplifts in the multiplier. I know that's been warmly welcomed by industry representatives. We've also since frozen the multiplier in 2021-22 and 2022-23, and that recognises the prolonged impact of the coronavirus pandemic on businesses and other ratepayers, and let's remember that that has saved ratepayers in Wales almost £200 million on their rates bills since 2018-19, compared to the revenue that we would be raising if we had increased the multiplier annually by the higher measure of inflation, the retail prices index. 

The multiplier is one factor that determines a ratepayer's bill, and it should not be considered in isolation. Another factor, of course, is the rateable value of the property. Our tax base in Wales has an average rateable value of around £19,000, and that, clearly, is very different from that in England, which has a much higher average of around £32,000. That drives a large difference in the average liability of ratepayers. Reliefs are then applied to the bills that reduce or remove the liability for the majority of ratepayers in Wales, so I do have to say that, as a result of the differences between our tax bases and our fully funded relief schemes, average bills in Wales are considerably lower than those in England.

We have provided unprecedented financial support to businesses and other ratepayers over recent years, and particularly since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. Our permanent relief schemes mean that 44 per cent of the tax base do not pay any domestic rates at all, regardless of the level of the multiplier. This year, we're providing an additional £116 million of targeted relief to businesses in the retail, leisure and hospitality sectors. To ensure businesses in Wales are sufficiently supported, and reflecting the nature of our tax base, we've invested an additional £20 million on top of the consequential funding from the UK Government for this purpose, again demonstrating the different tax base that we have here in Wales. But, as a result of our permanent reliefs and this additional support, we're spending over £350 million this year to provide 70 per cent of properties in Wales with full or partial support with their rate bills.

The next non-domestic rates revaluation will take effect on 1 April 2023, based on property values as at 1 April 2021. This means that the rateable values will reflect the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, as well as changes in the tax base since the last revaluation. The VOA will publish a draft new rating list by the end of this year, and we'll assess the impact of revaluation on our tax base. 

But, it is right that our non-domestic rates system reflects the unique nature of the tax base here in Wales. On 29 March, I set out a programme of non-domestic rates reform that will be delivered over the next four years. I've since launched a consultation on a range of reforms, including more frequent revaluations and a range of measures to better enable the Welsh Government to adapt the system to meet the needs of Wales in the future, and, of course, appeals also form part of that consultation.

Our plans include the further exploration of a local land value tax as a possible replacement for non-domestic rates and council tax. Replacing the existing local taxes would be a major undertaking requiring significant investment, and it is vital that we have a thorough understanding of the costs and the impacts. I have set out my intention to produce a potential road map for this work towards the end of this Senedd term. I was pleased to hear the reference to the technical assessment of the potential for a local land value tax in Wales by Bangor University. That was work that we commissioned in the Welsh Government, and it does set out, as we've heard, that there are a range of questions that yet need to be answered, and that a lot of work does remain to be done in this particular area. But it is something that we are committed to continuing to pursue and explore.

On the issue of digital sales, this is the domain of the UK Government, but just to reassure colleagues that my officials are very much engaged with their counterparts on this particular issue.

So, whilst our interventions over recent years—[Interruption.] Yes, of course.