Walking from Trafalgar Square to Oxford Street, you see some of the world's priciest retail units. Landlords charge five‑figure rents, yet many units house low‑budget gift shops selling “American candy” and Harry Potter merch. Those businesses are run by young people with no retail background, living in squalid shared flats in the capital's poorest areas.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has made high‑street revival a top priority. This week he announced new planning restrictions aimed at curbing vape stores, betting shops and “dodgy businesses linked to organised crime.” But my London Centric investigation shows the core issue is far simpler: shops can now opt out of paying taxes with minimal consequences.

The National Crime Agency raided over 2,700 businesses last October, but many operators simply evade tax, making more profit and paying higher rents than compliant rivals. A shop that systematically evades taxes can survive with fewer customers, outbidding honest cafés and accelerating high‑street decline.

To truly revive Britain’s high streets, Burnham must shift resources to HMRC, giving inspectors the power to shut down tax‑evading shops. As Treasury minister Dan Tomlinson noted, targeted raids, fines and robust enforcement could restore tax morale and level the playing field for legitimate businesses.