Should Morrisons have hiked dividend after business rate holiday?

The group benefitted to the tune of £93m from the temporary tax break and is handing £49m to shareholders, an increase of nearly 6 per cent

Morrisons: Britain’s number four supermarket has boosted its dividend despite a fall in profits

Should Morrisons really be hiking its dividend after having received a fat subsidy from the government?

That debate is live again after Britain’s number four supermarket hiked its pay out by nearly 6 per cent to £49m. The group reported £155m of extra Covid-related costs, including the need to take on hordes of extra staff who had to be paid.

Cushioning the blow: £93m worth of business rate relief courtesy of the government’s business rate holiday.