Rates Appeals System Facing Meltdown

The business rates appeals system is facing meltdown with over 280,000 appeals currently outstanding, 22% of all appeals received since 2010 were between January and March 2015 as a direct consequence of the Government extending the revaluation to 2017 and changing the rules for appeals received post 31st March 2015. Businesses warned the Government that the large number of appeals is due to the five-yearly revaluation being pushed back, leaving companies paying bills that had been calculated on outdated rental values.

With only about 90000 appeals being dealt with by the VOA in any one year this is bound to leave a large overhang of outstanding appeals at the revaluation date.