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Food prices in the UK could climb even further if the chancellor raises taxes on supermarkets at the next budget, the industry has warned.

Supermarket bosses, including those at Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons, have said in a letter to Rachel Reeves that households would “inevitably feel the impact” of potential tax rises on the sector.

“If the industry faces higher taxes in the coming budget – such as being included in the new surtax on business rates – our ability to deliver value for our customers will become even more challenging, and it will be households who inevitably feel the impact,” they wrote in the joint letter.

“Given the costs currently falling on the industry, including from the last budget, high food inflation is likely to persist into 2026. This is not something that we would want to see prolonged by any measure in the budget.”

Pressure is mounting on the chancellor to increase taxes on the budget on 26 November to help to plug a shortfall in public finances.

Supermarkets have complained that they were hit hard at the last budget, when Reeves announced a £25bn increase in employer national insurance contributions and a 6.7% rise in the “national living wage”. The changes came into effect this April.

The British Retail Consortium (BRC) said it was concerned that big shops could also face much higher business rate tax bills if they were included in the government’s new additional tax for properties with a rateable value of more than £500,000.

Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the BRC, said exempting supermarkets from this surtax would help keep food inflation under control.

“The chancellor has rightly made tackling inflation her top priority, and with food inflation stubbornly high, ensuring retail’s rates burden doesn’t rise further would be one of the simplest ways to help,” she said.

“This would not cost the taxpayer a penny, with large office blocks and industrial plants, for whom business rates is a smaller proportion of their costs, paying a little more.”

Official data shows that UK inflation was unchanged last month at 3.8%, with annual food price inflation easing from 5.1% in August to 4.5% in September. It was the first time this rate has slowed since March.

However, the cumulative effect means that grocery bills are much higher compared with a few years ago.

The letter, which was also signed by bosses at Aldi, Lidl, Marks & Spencer, Waitrose and Iceland, added that addressing “retail’s disproportionate tax burden would send a strong signal of support for the industry and of the government’s commitment to tackling food inflation”.

A Treasury spokesperson said: “Tackling food inflation is a priority, which is why we’re boosting incomes through increasing the national living wage, lowering business rates for butchers, bakers and other shops, and sticking to our fiscal rules to bring inflation down.”

It is understood the government takes the view that even if a property’s rateable value increases, the way the system works means that its bill could still go down.

Aurora Innovation (AUR) shares have edged slightly higher recently, following a modest uptick of about 2% in the last day and smaller gains over the past week. Investors seem to be weighing the company’s performance during the month, as Aurora continues its work in autonomous vehicle technology.

See our latest analysis for Aurora Innovation.

Zooming out, Aurora Innovation’s 1-year share price return is still down double digits, while its three-year total shareholder return remains notably positive. After a recent stretch of modest gains, momentum is still searching for its footing as investors gauge the company’s long-term roadmap and evolving risk profile.

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With shares trading well below analyst price targets and impressive long-term gains in the rearview, investors now face a critical question: Is Aurora a bargain poised for growth, or is the market already factoring in its future potential?

At a price-to-book ratio of 4.8x, Aurora Innovation trades below its peer average of 5.9x based on this valuation measure. This suggests the stock is relatively more attractively priced compared to similar companies. With the last close at $5.15, this indicates the market is discounting Aurora relative to its book value more than its immediate peer group.

The price-to-book ratio compares a company’s market value to its net asset value. This metric is particularly relevant for asset-light and high-growth sectors like software and autonomous vehicles. For Aurora, this ratio reflects what investors are willing to pay for the company’s equity compared to the book value recorded on its balance sheet.

This valuation suggests investors may be skeptical about Aurora’s path to profitability or are discounting near-term challenges, despite the sector’s broader appetite for growth. However, the company’s price-to-book still remains higher than the US Software industry average of 4x. This signals the market may still be assigning a premium for its technology or future prospects relative to the average US software company, though less so compared to its closest peers.

See what the numbers say about this price — find out in our valuation breakdown.

Result: Price-to-Book of 4.8x (UNDERVALUED compared to peers)

However, continued net losses and uncertainty around the company’s path to profitability remain challenges that could weigh on future share performance.

Find out about the key risks to this Aurora Innovation narrative.

While the price-to-book ratio offers one angle on Aurora’s value, the SWS DCF model provides a different perspective. According to our DCF analysis, Aurora shares are currently trading about 37.8% below our estimate of their fair value. This suggests a considerable undervaluation if you believe the model’s assumptions.

Look into how the SWS DCF model arrives at its fair value.

Simply Wall St performs a discounted cash flow (DCF) on every stock in the world every day (check out Aurora Innovation for example). We show the entire calculation in full. You can track the result in your watchlist or portfolio and be alerted when this changes, or use our stock screener to discover undervalued stocks based on their cash flows. If you save a screener we even alert you when new companies match – so you never miss a potential opportunity.

If you see the story differently or want to dig into the numbers yourself, you can craft your own take in just a few minutes with Do it your way.

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

Companies discussed in this article include AUR.

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