The ALMR has urged pubs and restaurants in Scotland to act before the 30 September deadline for appeals against new rateable values.
After the deadline, Scottish businesses are likely to be stuck for five years with rates bills calculated on valuations based on 2015 prices. During that period, the Scottish Government will be acting upon proposals from the recently published Barclay Review of business rates, which includes cutting the revaluations cycle from five to three years, but that is unlikely to be implemented next revaluation in 2022.
Kate Nicholls, CEO of the ALMR, said “We welcome the fact that the Scottish Government is about to embark upon a review of business rates, setting an example that ought to be quickly mirrored in England and Wales. However, before that takes place, ratepayers in Scotland have little time to avoid being locked in to overly burdensome rates due to overvaluation.
“With so many rising costs burdening operators, it is crucial that they seriously consider an appeal if they feel that they have any case regarding over-valuation of their venue. Failure to do so could result in unfairly high costs for the next five years, a period during which many other cost factors may come into play.”
The ALMR has led calls for root and branch reform of business rates across the UK, and successfully lobbied for specific reliefs that were included in the Chancellors March Budget. Nicholls added “The enormity and inequity of business rates on our sector, while online companies reap the benefits of the system, will remain a prime focus for us as we approach November’s Budget. Reliefs have been welcome but are a sticking plaster, not a long-term solution.”