What are business rates?

For many business owners, the recent business rates bill that has just landed on their desk is a source of concern. Few understand how business rates bills are calculated and many misunderstand this property tax. Many businesses appoint a qualified rating advisor to guide them through the rates maze and to get the right business… View Article

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Staircase tax to be repealed

The government has recently published a draft Bill to repeal the so-called ‘staircase tax’ that has adversely affected a large number of Oxfordshire’s businesses. The abolishment of the staircase tax was first announced by the chancellor Philip Hammond in the Autumn Statement back in November 2017. The staircase tax applied to businesses that occupy more… View Article

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Our rating expert speaks

With the deadline for rating appeals looming large on the horizon, small and medium business owners are being encouraged to find out more about what impact the new Rating Valuations 2017 will have on Oxfordshire businesses. Our rating expert Robert Seares is speaking at a number of Oxford events in the next few weeks where… View Article

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Penalties & fees for Check, Challenge Appeal Rating system announced by DCLG

The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) has announced that its new appeal system of Check, Challenge, Appeal will include various penalties & fees. These are in addition to fees charged by specialist rating surveyors appointed by the appellant to deal with this more onerous, radically altered, appeal system. The new appeal system requires the… View Article

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Draft 2017 Rating List has been published

The Draft 2017 Rating List was published by the Valuation Office Agency on 30th September 2016.  The online listing gives the new Rateable Values for non-domestic premises that will be effective from 1st April 2017. This revaluation follows the postponement from April 2015. Because of this postponement, these new rateable values are expected to include… View Article

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New business rates appeal system – your questions answered

Why has the business rates appeal system been changed? The business rate appeals system in England has been reformed in an effort to reduce the number of speculative appeals. The new Check, Challenge, Appeal system will require businesses to set out their grounds for challenging with supporting evidence in the hope that genuine appeals are… View Article

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What the new business rates appeal system could mean to your business

The business rate appeals system in England is to be reformed in an effort to reduce the number of speculative appeals. The new Check, Challenge, Appeal system will require businesses to set out their grounds for challenging with supporting evidence in the hope that genuine appeals are resolved earlier in the process. From April 2017,… View Article

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The effect of material changes on rateable values

With rating appeals lodged after 1 April 2015 no longer able to be backdated to 2010, businesses across Oxfordshire are being encouraged to check that they are paying the correct amount in Business Rates. Of course, appeals may also be made for a variety of physical changes to the property or the locality. Known as… View Article

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Illustration of the effect of the new rating appeal deadline

The new deadline for rate appeals is 31 March 2015, after which time any refunds will only be backdated for the period 2015 – 2017 rather than the current 2010 – 2017. Many commercial ratepayers are facing a potential loss of 5 years’ worth of rate savings unless they lodge an appeal by 31 March… View Article

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Important new rating appeal deadline

The Government’s Autumn Statement on 3rd November contained an important change to the rules governing Business Rates. It announced that for a rating appeal submitted after 31 March 2015, any refund due will not be backdated for the period 2010 to 2015.  Instead the Government will only adjust the Rateable Value of a commercial property… View Article

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