22 October 2001
The Valuation Office has now finalised and published revised programmes
for dealing with business rates appeals.
The Valuation Office, a government agency, first introduced a system
of time-tabling for rating appeals in April 2000 with the aim of
giving ratepayers greater certainty about when their appeals would
be dealt with.
Stephen Wright, who has co-ordinated the review explained,
In some areas our work programme has been significantly affected
by a large number of appeals related to the restrictions imposed
because of Foot and Mouth disease. This has meant reassessing our
priorities. We have considered the representations made during the
consultation period and we have now finalised the order we intend
to deal with appeals between now and March 2003. We have also set
out a provisional timetable for the year to March 2004.'
The new programmes can be view at any local valuation offices and
also on the Valuation Office web site at www.voa.gov.uk
Notes for Editors
All appeals made since 1 April 2000 have been put into a programme
showing when the Valuation Office intends to deal with them. The
programmes give ratepayers an indication of the date discussions
around their appeal are expected to begin and when they might be
concluded. Any appeal which cannot be settled by discussion can
be heard by the independent local valuation tribunal.
Every non-domestic property, the majority of which are businesses,
has a rateable value which is assessed independently by the Valuation
Office. These values are reviewed every five years.
In broad terms the rateable value is a professional view of the
annual rent for a property if it was available on the open market
at a fixed valuation date. Using the same date for all values means
that all properties have been assessed at the same point in time.
At present this date is 1 April 1998.
Rateable values are a key factor in the calculation of business
rates, but they are not the rates bill. An increase or decrease
in rateable value does not automatically lead to a smaller or larger
bill because the final calculation is based on a number of other
factors. These include transitional relief and a multiplier which
are set by Government. Local authorities are responsible for calculating
final rates bills and collecting rates.
The Valuation Office is an executive agency of the Inland Revenue.
Its main activities (in England and Wales only) are valuations for
rating and banding of properties for council tax. In Scotland, England
and Wales the agency establishes valuations for Inheritance and
Capital Gains tax for the Inland Revenue, for right to buy and carries
out valuations of land and buildings for a wide range of public
sector clients.
For further information
VOA web-site: www.voa.gov.uk
Media enquiries: 0207 506 1927
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