Business rates appeals

 New system sees business rates appeals plummet

Appeals over business rates have fallen by more than 99% since a new system was introduced last year. Between April 1 2017, when the new system for appealing business rates was introduced, and December 31, just 1,210 valuations were challenged in England, a 99.3% fall compared to the same period after the last system change in 2010. The new appeal system places the burden of proof on companies themselves, while new regulations are also being introduced which will issue £500 fines if businesses appeal wrongly. As a result, industry bodies said, thousands of businesses are not bothering to appeal their business rates, and could be paying far more than they should be.

Source: The Daily Telegraph (16/02/2018)