The Universal resort in Orlando is a destination for thrill-seeking families (Image: Getty)
Tax breaks should go to struggling British businesses rather than being used to lure a US entertainment giant to build a theme park in Bedford, according to senior Conservatives.
The Government has been in talks with Comcast-owned Universal Destinations and Experiences about transport funding and possible tax breaks for the giant resort it wants to bring to England.
There is strong local support for the project and Universal estimates it will generate nearly ￡50billion in economic benefits to the UK. The company expects the construction period to support 20,000 jobs.
It is rumoured incentives under consideration could be worth ￡300million.
The Universal Orlando Resort features rides linked to blockbuster movies including the Harry Potter series and Jurassic Park. It has opened parks in California, China, Japan and Singapore and bought nearly 500 acres for the Bedford site.
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But there is an unease in Westminster about handing out major tax breaks when many UK businesses are under pressure.
Tory MP Sir Bernard Jenkin said: “It would seem that this big multinational is already committed to this project. It’s small businesses that really struggle to pay business rates.
“What is the Government going to do to help them, rather than the big multinationals, who don’t need it?”
Fellow Conservative MP Sir John Hayes said: “It’s British firms – small and medium-sized enterprises, businesses that reinvest in this country, that care about the places in which they are located – that deserve the Chancellor’s support, not soulless, globalist multinationals.”
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And Tory peer Lord Mackinlay warned against a “desperate measure to create phoney growth on the back of taxpayers’ cash” suggesting it would be a “better idea to reduce the tax load on domestic businesses first”.
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The campaign group TaxWatch said the “business tax regime is not a pick and mix sweet stall” and that reliefs “should be scrutinised for their effectiveness”.
The Treasury would not comment on whether any announcement about support for the resort would be in this month’s Budget.
A spokesman said: “We’re supporting businesses through pledges to make the business rates system fairer, to cap corporation tax at 25 per cent and to publish a business tax roadmap so that future investments can be planned with confidence.”