Scottish Government has confirmed a number of reforms to the business rates system following recommendations of the Barclay review. The Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Derek Mackay, gave details of the proposed reforms and of a number of other recommendations made by the review that Scottish Government will consider implementing. The key change is to three-yearly revaluations from 2022 onwards. ...Read More

The Government has published a consultation paper seeking views on new regulations that are intended to grant rates relief to new fibre optic telecommunications networks installed after 1 April 2017. This relief was announced by the Chancellor in the 2017 Budget and will offer 100% relief for a five year period from 1 April 2017. The aim is simple, to encourage investment in new fibre optic networks, but the consultation and the draft regulations show how complex and convoluted are the exemptions and reliefs from business rates. ...Read More

Scottish Government has published the Report of the Barclay Review of Non-Domestic Rates in Scotland. The review group was chaired by Ken Barclay, former Chairman of RBS, and spent over a year taking evidence from ratepayers, local authorities and others. Its report makes thirty recommendations, designed to enhance and reform the non-domestic rating system in Scotland. If accepted by Scottish Government some of these reforms could come into effect immediately, whilst others would require new legislation to enable them to be implemented. ...Read More

Regulations to govern appeals against business rates assessments after 1 April 2017 were finally laid before Parliament on 17 March 2017. The regulations mark the biggest change to business rates appeals in England, certainly since the Local Government Finance Act 1988, and possibly for longer than that. These major changes will not be welcome news for ratepayers and their advisors when they come into force. ...Read More

Business rates were in the news almost continuously before the Spring Budget 2017. The Chancellor was reported to be in "listening" mode and sympathetic to the concerns of ratepayers. In fact most of the changes to business rates announced in the Budget merely confirmed announcements already made in the Autumn Statement 2016. But there were a few additional crumbs of comfort for some of the ratepayers adversely affected by this year's rating revaluation. ...Read More

The Local Government Finance Bill 2017 has completed its committee stage in the House of Commons. The Bill paves the way for retention by local authorities of 100% of business rates income from the authority's area. This will be enabled by 2020, but the Bill also includes other important measures relating to business rates. ...Read More

Scottish Government has unveiled its Budget for 2017-18, which includes important announcements regarding business rates in Scotland. Non-domestic rates represent the second largest source of revenue under the direct control of Scottish Government, after Scottish Income Tax, and are estimated to raise more than £2.6 billion in 2017-18. ...Read More

The Autumn Statement 2016 contained a number of announcements that tinker with the business rates system but any ambition for fundamental reform has disappeared from government thinking. The Uniform Business Rate multiplier in England for next year will be very slightly lower than previously announced and there will be slight changes to the scheme of transitional adjustments from those set out in the recent consultation paper, along with other more minor changes ...Read More

Welsh Assembly Government has published proposals for a very limited scheme of transitional adjustments to affect rate liabilities following the 2017 Rating Revaluation. The proposal is designed to help small businesses whose entitlement to small business rate relief may be altered as a result of the forthcoming revaluation. ...Read More

New Rateable Values have been published for all non-domestic properties in England and Wales. these new values, together with the new Uniform Business Rate multiplier and the scheme of transitional adjustments, will set business rates liabilities for five years from 1 April 2017. the revaluation is the first in England and Wales for seven years and shows major changes in rates liability between different classes of property and different regions. ...Read More