Member Article

Petition protest at local control over business rate plan

A small business lobby group has launched a petition campaign over proposals to restore local authority control over business rates. The Government has asked Sir Michael Lyons to review the funding of local government finance. The Federation of Small Businesses fears that the outcome of the report, due for publication in December, will see business rates will revert to local authority control.Prior to 1990, local government set business rate levels for their own area. The FSB asserts that this led to wide discrepancies between councils with businesses based close to each other but across council boundaries paying different rates. The result, said the FSB, was distorted competition between firms on a solely geographical basisJohn Wright, FSB North East Policy Chairman, said: “Our members in the North East have long memories and they remember the dark days of the 1980s when some of our local authorities hammered businesses with outrageous rises in their rates. We are urging all concerned businesses to sign the petition to protect their own interests.“The FSB petition can be obtained from any FSB regional office or by emailing laura.davies.org.uk.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .