-
25 Mar 21
A decision by NHS trusts to back down in their legal battle to receive business rates rebates removes a huge headache for local authorities, experts have told PF.
-
23 Mar 21
A government consultation on business rates has found widespread opposition to its replacement by a capital values tax – but the idea of an online service tax got a warmer welcome.
-
17 Mar 21
A revenue finance officer redirected more than £60,000 from the local authority she worked for to pay off her credit card bills.
-
16 Mar 21
A permanent drop in council income streams mean the government’s pre-Covid-19 strategy for reforming local government funding is a “busted flush”, according to Rob Whiteman, CIPFA chief executive.
-
18 Feb 21
Councils in England face setting aside an additional £2bn to help cover business rates appeals over the next two financial years due to Covid-19, unless central government support is forthcoming.
-
17 Feb 21
The Scottish Government has will extend the 100% business rates holiday for the whole of the next financial year, following further UK government funding.
-
8 Feb 21
Treasury officials are looking into the implementation of an online sales tax and an ‘excessive profit’ levy, in response to the increase in online shopping resulting from Covid-19, according to...
-
4 Feb 21
Councils must be compensated if they are to comply with a new call by government to delay business rates billing, according to CIPFA.
-
29 Jan 21
This week, PF revealed that the Valuation Office Agency has halted talks over business rates rebates for offices – but the government could still face a bill of £500m to compensate councils for lost...
-
29 Jan 21
The Valuation Office Agency has paused talks over hundreds of millions pounds worth of potential Covid-19-related business rates rebates for offices, PF has learnt.
-
16 Nov 20
The government has launched a bidding process to create at least seven ‘freeports’ in England – promising host councils the ability to retain business rates growth for 25 years.
-
29 Oct 20
Councils face a massive rise in business rates appeals, which have reached around 1,000 a day as a result of Covid-19, according to real estate firm Colliers.
-
5 Oct 20
Radical reform of the local property tax model in England is long overdue, but must be accompanied by a 21st-century approach on valuation
-
26 Aug 20
The government has an opportunity to use its proposed shake-up of business rates to incentivise energy efficiency measures in commercial property, says Kevin Muldoon-Smith.
-
20 Aug 20
Business rate income for local authorities halved in the first quarter, while council tax income stayed steady, according to the first official figures on the impact of Covid-19 on council income.
-
13 Aug 20
Trade bodies representing the renewables industry has written to chancellor Rishi Sunak requesting a package of tax measures to help the sector.
-
5 Aug 20
A reported proposal to raise business rates for the most valuable properties has the potential to be hugely unfair, Savills has warned.
-
27 Jul 20
Chancellor Rishi Sunak is considering implementing an online sales tax as the government seeks alternatives to business rates, according to reports.
-
23 Jul 20
Local government secretary Robert Jenrick has hinted that the government could introduce council tax and business rate reimbursement schemes to help local authorities deal with the financial...
-
22 Jul 20
The government is asking for views on the potential of a capital values tax or online services tax to replace business rates in its comprehensive review of the tax.
-
7 May 20
The government has postponed the business rate revaluation by a year due to the disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
-
20 Apr 20
Second-home owners in England could receive a share of millions of pounds of government coronavirus grants, according to real estate adviser Altus Group.
-
26 Mar 20
The government is asking for the planned business rates holiday to be made exempt from European Union rules restricting state aid, as financial pressures mount up due to the coronavirus pandemic.
-
25 Mar 20
Lending between councils has dropped as councils look to keep hold of cash due to concerns over the coronavirus pandemic, according to treasury adviser Arlingclose.
-
24 Mar 20
The coronavirus pandemic could see the UK's GDP decline by 5.4% in 2020, according to consultancy firm KPMG.