Business Rates Annual Notification
Non-Domestic Rates
The non-domestic rates collected by billing authorities are paid into a central pool and redistributed to county and county borough councils and police authorities. Your council and police authority use their share of redistributed rate income, together with income from their Council Tax payers, revenue support grant provided by the National Assembly for Wales and certain other sums, to pay for the services they provide.
National Non-Domestic Rating Multiplier
This is the Rate in the pound by which the rateable value is multiplied to give the annual rate bill for a property. The multiplier set annually by the National Assembly for Wales, and which is set at 0.526p for 2019/20, is the same for the whole of Wales. With the exception of a revaluation year, the multiplier cannot rise by more than the rate of increase in the retail price index.
HOW YOUR BUSINESS RATES ARE CALCULATED
Each business property is prescribed a rateable value. This is independently assessed by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) and represents the open market rental value of the property as at the 1st April 2015.
The business rates demand notice is calculated by multiplying the rateable value by the rate multiplier. The rate multiplier is set by the Welsh Assembly Government and is reviewed annually. The multiplier for the financial year 2019/2020 is 0.526p.
For example:
Rateable Value 20,000 x Multiplier 0.526 = Rate Bill £10,520
You can estimate your business rates using the Gov UK Website
CHECK YOUR RATEABLE VALUE
The council uses the rateable value provided by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) to work out your Business Rates bill. You can check your rateable value and compare it with others on the VOA website. You can also get in touch if you need to let them know of any issues.
For composite properties which are partly domestic and partly non-domestic the rateable value relates to the non-domestic part only. The values of all property in respect of which rates are payable to your authority are shown in the local rating list, which can be found on the VOA website at www.tax.service.gov.uk/view-my-valuation/search.
ALTERATION OF RATEABLE VALUE
The rateable value may alter if the valuation officer believes that the circumstances of the property have changed.
WHO MAY MAKE A PROPOSAL
Effectively this right is limited to the owner or the occupier of, or persons with certain legal interests in, the property concerned at the date the proposal is made. Additionally, former ratepayers of the property who wish to challenge an alteration made to a rating list by the Valuation Officer for a period when they were the ratepayer, and in certain circumstances the billing authority, may also make a proposal.
PROPOSALS AND APPEALS
From 1st April 2017, important changes have been made to the rules surrounding the making of proposals or appeals against rateable values, and information about the changes is available from the local Valuation Office or www.gov.uk/business-rate-appeals.
Further information about appeal arrangements may be obtained from the Chief Valuer Wales & Valuation Officer, Non Domestic Rates Wales, Valuation Office Agency, Tŷ Rhodfa, Tŷ Glas Road, Llanishen, Cardiff CF14 5GR.
Telephone Number: 03000 505505.
If you don’t agree with the outcome of the discussions you can, in certain circumstances, make an appeal.
THE APPEALS PROCESS
There are 3 main stages in the process:
- Submit an appeal to alter the rating providing evidence about why you think your valuation is wrong
- Formal discussions where your evidence to support your view will be reviewed and facts agreed
- Present your case to a Valuation Tribunal for Wales if it’s not possible to resolve your appeal through discussion with the VOA
This process is free of charge and can be undertaken by yourself.
You may complete a proposal for most purposes online. This has the advantage of ensuring that your proposal relates to the correct list entry and you can receive virtually immediate email acknowledgement of receipt. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/how-to-check-and-challenge-your-rateable-value-in-wales