Business Rate - Doubled!

[superlightr]

Bloody Council. Sly buggers.

Our office Business Rates are being reassessed as are all business rates in my area, Lewes Sussex and they are doubling. Yep, double the tax.

4k to 8k a year !

Spoke to the valuation office who confirmed it was just a 'tax' under a different name and that they are linking it to rents. Nothing they can do as thats how they are told to assess it.
Great ! I get no services for the rates I pay, and am mightily peed that a tax can just double.

We are allowed 3 yrs transitional releif. whoopy doo.

So whilst the govt is harping on about not putting up Income tax, businesses are getting screwed from behind.

Cant eveen appeal as the rates are equalling the rent for last year when it was assessd - so they have worked it out correct.

Council have also introduced parking zones and charges for road parking. Another fing tax never there before.

I think as they cant rais council tax or other obvious taxes the hidden ones are getting a fresh look at.

Arse.

[simpo two]

Ouch. Take little comfort that part of the increase may be to boost the underperforming pension funds of council workers. At the expense of your own disposable income and pension. It totally sucks.

[thepeoplespal]

You could try setting up in an enterprise zone, you don't pay business rates for quite a number of years in those areas. Bone your MP about it, they are up for re-election at the start of next month.

[davidd]

Is your ratable value correct? We have just won an appeal and got ours reduced (and a backdated cheque thanks very much).

D

[John75]

Amazed just how many profitable businesess get UBR Relief worth checking with your local Chamber.

[gaity]

Just picked up this thread. I manage 2 wind farms in Wales (and a few in England). Our business rates have been based on production capacity for the last 12 or so years,pounds per megawatt. This year, however, the easy formula has been dispensed with and replaced with an assessment based on perceived rental value, which is really based on turnover (there can be very little rental value on blanket bog and moss at the top of a Welsh hill). And we get NO services, at all, ever. Upshot is, the English sites have seen an increase of roughly 300%, around £20k but with transitional relief. In Wales we are faced with 500% increases (another £85k per year) and no transitional relief (thank you Welsh Assembly). Truly buggers up the financial basecase!

[falcemob]

superlightr said:

Bloody Council. Sly buggers. Our office Business Rates are being reassessed as are all business rates in my area, Lewes Sussex and they are doubling. Yep, double the tax.

Don't the government or rather the inland revenue set the business rates and not the local councils?

[dilbert]

thepeoplespal said:

You could try setting up in an enterprise zone, you don't pay business rates for quite a number of years in those areas. Bone your MP about it, they are up for re-election at the start of next month.

You could always launch a pro blair advertising campaign. That ought to help out on the taxation front.