Oral Answers to Questions

Marcus Fysh Excerpts

Monday 28th November 2016 Commons Chamber

[Andrew Percy]

Before the review, we agreed a methodology with the industry through which the revaluations would take place, so that is why that mechanism is used.

[Marcus Fysh (Yeovil) (Con)]

23. Like other businesses, pubs in my constituency are grateful for the raising of the threshold for the payment of rates, but they can suffer following bizarre Valuation Office Agency reassessment decisions that cancel out the benefit. As local authorities such as Somerset are now highly dependent on growing their rates revenue and on 100% rates retention, how can it be right that businesses face uncertainty from such a source?

[Andrew Percy]

This is an independent process and it would not be appropriate for Ministers to intervene in it. We have, of course, provided £3.6 billion of transitional relief for those businesses affected by the revaluation, but I refer back to the statistics I gave in an answer a moment ago about the number of businesses that could now qualify for 100% relief.