Holiday from Business Rates in Wales

[apexblue]

For those of us with Welsh rentals on business rates and rateable value under £6000 there will be a 12 month holiday 1 Oct 10 - 30 Sept 11.

[waterwitch]

Great news! Be nice if the same could be done in England!

I guess this is to soften the blow for the big 2010 rateable value increase but how they can afford to give up all that income?

[Nemo]

In April 2010, I received a letter telling me exactly the same thing, and I am in England.

However, it states "Introduction of the measure will be subject to passage of the necessary legislation by Parliament, following an election". I have heard nothing since and one would assume that with the current state of economic affairs, that this one wouldn't happen?

[Wonkeye]

Glad this has been revisited as it attracted no comments back in May, and I've been wondering ever since!
viewtopic.php?t=12163&highlight=wonkeye

This prompted me to re-Google the issue. Do the following mean that it needs to go through Parliament, or that it doesn't need to, being part of the Budget?
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2010 ... 656_en.pdf
.... The Coalition Government has decided to go forward with this measure as announced by the former Government as part of the March 2010 Budget. This is because it will provide valuable help to small businesses in the current economic climate, many of whom will have set their budgets at the
beginning of the financial year in anticipation of receiving the additional relief. To disappoint businesses at this late stage may cause hardship to some and may cause others to cancel plans. This would be unfair, and potentially impact on the economic recovery.

http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents ... 627919.pdf
Business Rates Information Letter 8/2010
Chief Finance Officers of English Billing Authorities
FOR THE ATTENTION OF THE BUSINESS RATES SECTION
Dear Chief Finance Officer
Business rates information letter (8/2010): Budget Announcement – Changes to the small business rate relief scheme
...... The 22 June Budget confirmed that the Government is going ahead with the temporary measure announced in the March Budget - and set out in business rates information letter (6/2010) - to make small business rate relief more generous for one year, starting from 1 October 2010.

Eligible ratepayers will receive relief at 100 per cent on properties with rateable values up to £6,000 with a tapered relief of between 100 per cent and 0 per cent for properties with rateable values between £6,001 and £12,000. The new levels of relief will be available for 12 months from 1 October 2010 to 30 September 2011. There are no other adjustments to the scheme. The eligibility criteria will remain the same.

We have now laid the necessary statutory instruments before Parliament. They are:
•
The Non-Domestic Rating (Small Business Rate Relief) (Amendment) (England) Order (SI 2010/1655), and the
•
The Non-Domestic (Collection and Enforcement) (Local Lists) (England) (Amendment) (No.2) Regulations (SI 2010/1656)
5. The instruments can be found at:
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si201016
6. We will shortly be issuing explanatory guidance to accompany the statutory instruments.
7. Ministers have a clear policy intention - no or reduced rates for eligible ratepayers from October 2010 to September 2011 - and ratepayers are expecting to receive that extra relief. It is now local authorities’ responsibility to ensure timely implementation of the regulations. etc etc

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/p ... 7w0006.htm
27 July 2010 : Column 1045W
.. Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he plans to increase the level of small business rate relief. [11979]

Robert Neill: We are doubling the level of small business rate relief in England for one year, from 1 October 2010. Over half a million businesses in England expected to benefit, with approximately 345,000 businesses paying no rates. The Government are also committed to find a practical way to make small business rate relief automatic, in accordance with the coalition agreement.
....

[WASCO]

The Social Justice and Local Government Minister, Carl Sargeant, confirmed on 8 September that from 1 October 2010 until 30 September 2011 most business premises with a rateable value up to £6,000 will not pay any business rates.

In addition, most of those with a rateable value between £6,001 and £12,000 will receive rate relief that will be reduced on a tapered basis. This means that business premises with a rateable value of £8,000 will get around 66% rate relief, whilst those with a rateable value of £10,000 will get around 33% relief.

Operators may have heard nothing at all about this from their Local Authority as yet but letters should be sent out very soon to confirm the arrangements and also to clarify exactly how the taper relief will work. Note that this rate relief will be given automatically and applications are not required.

[Windy]

Is it safe to assume that if the park pays rates and allocates them to 150 lodges then we wont be seeing any reduction even though each of us has an individually low rateable value?

[WASCO]

You won't benefit because the park's rates bill is almost certainly going to be a great deal higher than the qualifying criteria.

[Windy]

What I thought

[Nemo]

Sorry Windy - that's very annoying to say the least!

I have received my letter confirming the relief, so I now have a credit on my rates bill until the relief period finishes and charges start applying.