UK port business rates campaign close to victory

Port companies around England and Wales seem close to victory in their battle against millions of pounds of backdated business rates, after the new coalition government pledged to cancel the retrospective demands.

However, the battle itself may have been the starting point for the new UK parliament.

Andrew Finfer, the solicitor advising the dock rating groups that has been spearheading the attack on the UK Valuation Agency Office’s handling of the issue has heard reports that both Conservative and Liberal Democrats co-operated closely in both in the Commons and the House of Lords where they defeated a government three line whip, and this may have assisted later coalition negotiations.

The port businesses now have commitment on two fronts. The Conservative manifesto says the party “will introduce and immediate freeze of, and enquiry into, the government’s punitive programme of backdating business rates on ports,” while the Coalition Agreement mentions that funds found from modest cuts through the cancelling of some backdated rates demands.

Mr Finfer hopes a solution is found that is satisfactory to everybody, ‘When a mistake is made about liability to pay rates, the cost of rectifying the mistake should be borne by the person responsible for the mistake - whether it is the Valuation Office Agency or the ratepayer,’ he says.

In 2005 the Valuation Office Agency failed to publish accurate rating lists and then three years later demanded backdated business rates running to millions of pounds it left many port businesses stunned and facing insolvency.

David Johnson, chairman of the Hull rating group, said: “It is great news that we now have a government genuinely sympathetic to business.” And Mr Finfer adds, “We await the budget on 22 June with interest - will this be the beginning of the end of this sorry saga?”

Source: Port Strategy