Carigiet Cowen would encourage all businesses to check their newly proposed business rates- available from 30 September 2016 – with care and become familiar with the new Check Challenge Appeal system which will be introduced from 1 April 2017.

Rating practitioners have long called on the Government for a more efficient appeals system that will offer certainty, consistency and stability to property markets, but the new appeals process offers no significant advantage over the existing system. It has been seven years since values for business rates were last assessed, yet there are still almost 300,000 outstanding appeals challenging the 2010 rating lists.

The new appeal system is overly complex and will not improve transparency for the taxpayer. Therefore it does not serve their best interests, particularly the suggestion that the powers of the Valuation Tribunal to revise assessments, following an appeal, should be limited.

THE NEW ‘CHECK, CHALLENGE, APPEAL’ PROCESS

• Check: Rate payers will need to ensure the facts on their new rateable value are correct. Details of what will be required are not yet known, but are likely to include information about the property’s tenure.
• Challenge: This stage can only be instigated by the ratepayer within four months of the conclusion of the check stage, with a further 18 months allowed to conclude the challenge. It could therefore be nearly three years from starting the process until the ratepayer is allowed to make a formal appeal.
• Appeal: Those granted an appeal have up to four months to do so and must pay a fee of up to £300, which is refundable only if successful.

Should any ratepayers have any queries on the forthcoming Rating Revaluation, Carigiet Cowen will be happy to assist. Please contact Iain Henderson, 01228 635005 or email: [email protected]