The funding system for local government is “broken”, the leader of Havering LBC has told LGC, amid concerns the council may issue a section 114 notice within the next 12 months. A senior officer claimed to LGC that despite managing its finances well, the council was facing “structural” budget problems…
Scotland’s shops are seeing a fall in business rate bills of nearly 10%, following revaluation from the start of last month. New figures from the Scottish government reflect changed rental values, on which bills are based. These have been updated by council assessors for the first time in six years,…
A group of 44 retail leaders have written to Jeremy Hunt to halt an inflation-based increase to property tax bills. Bosses of a raft of Britain’s biggest retailers, such as Tesco, M&S and B&Q, have urged the Chancellor to freeze their property taxes to avoid a roughly £400 million hike. The letter, which…
More than half a million retail properties across England and Wales have now been revalued with new rateable values, which will be used to calculate business rates liabilities from 1 April 20023 to 31 March 2026, having been published showing a fall of 10 per ccent overall for the sector. The…
The government is consulting on plans to support ratepayers by displaying their tax and business rates information in the same place online within the next few years. In the Final Report of the Business Rates Review, published at the Autumn Budget 2021, the government committed to modernise and digitalise the business…
Businesses facing hefty business rates bills are set for a court showdown over the Government’s decision to strip them of their right to appeal their property taxes in a series of major cases this week. The Valuation Tribunal, an independent judicial body, will hear a series of 26 test cases…
Hospitality business owners have welcomed ministers’ plans to update the business rates system, but have warned that newly-announced moves do not go far enough to help firms struggling with soaring costs and high tax burdens. The Queen’s Speech is always a chance for the government to outline key policy plans. An…
A report by a group of MPs has warned that up to 20,000 UK pubs could be at risk of closure if the government fails to reform the business rates system. Ahead of the chancellor’s spring statement on Wednesday (23 March), the All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group (APPBG) said the current system…
