Business Rates (Rural Areas)

Debate between Marcus Jones and Caroline Nokes

Tuesday 8th September 2015 Westminster Hall

[Mr Jones]

I thank my hon. Friend for that intervention and it is always good to get the views of businesses, both in Henley and across the country. I will certainly take into account what he has said and I will feed those comments into the ongoing review.

I turn now to the issue of stables and local taxation. Property is subject to either council tax or non-domestic rates, which are commonly known as business rates. The boundary between the two can certainly be complex, but broadly speaking stables are only likely to be included within the council tax band if they are sited within the domestic curtilage of a property and used for purposes on a domestic scale appropriate to that property. It is for the VOA to apply the legislation and case law to the facts of a particular case.

All ratepayers have the right of appeal to an independent tribunal. Of course, a stable property that is separately rated may be eligible for business rate relief, which I think is the case in the situation that my hon. Friend the Member for Rossendale and Darwen referred to. Where a stable is taken into account in a council tax assessment, that may well result in a council tax band increase. So it is not necessarily the case that someone will pay more when a stable or stable block is separately assessed.

[Caroline Nokes (Romsey and Southampton North) (Con)]

I thank my hon. Friend the Minister for giving way on that point and I appreciate his comments about stabling with regard to non-domestic rates or council tax. Does he agree that the British Horse Society has made an excellent submission to the Treasury’s business rate review, which brilliantly highlights, first, just how complicated and grey an area stabling can be and, secondly, the many anomalies that exist for those who run equestrian premises as part of either an agricultural holding or a domestic property?

[Mr Jones]

I thank my hon. Friend for making that point. It is extremely important that organisations such as the one she mentioned bring forward their views and concerns during the review process. I will certainly take them into account, as I am sure my colleagues in the Treasury will, and I will also take into account the views put forward by my hon. Friend the Member for Rossendale and Darwen, who secured today’s debate.

I turn now to the matter of festivals. The VOA has a duty to maintain fair and accurate rating lists, and it is of course right that music festivals and other such events pay business rates, just like any other occupier of non-domestic property. However, I assure my hon. Friend that if there are no permanent physical adaptations to the land to facilitate festival use, and the duration of the festival is only a matter of a few days, it is unlikely to attract a rating assessment in its own right. Any assessment would be proportionate to the scale of the festival. Of course, if a ratepayer is unhappy with their assessment, they have a right of appeal to an independent tribunal.

The VOA is working with the Events Industry Forum to draw up guidance to help organisers better understand when rateability will arise. We will certainly take into account comments made by my hon. Friend and other hon. Members during the review process.