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Business rates

Expert commentary and practical guidance from ICAEW on business rates, and other business property taxes, in England and Wales.

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UK Government consults on measures to tackle business rates avoidance and evasion

The consultation focuses on proposed changes to prevent abuse of empty property relief and the “next in use” exemption involving charities and community amateur sports clubs (CASCs). It also asks for evidence relating to other rates avoidance and evasion behaviour including the existence of “rogue agents” that promote such behaviour.
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Significant changes ahead for business rates

ICAEW’s Tax Faculty explains the technical changes to the business rates system announced alongside the Spring Budget.
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The future of business rates online – what you need to know

The government is consulting on plans to support ratepayers by displaying their tax and business rates information in the same place online within the next few years. This article summarises what could be involved and asks for your input to help ICAEW respond to the consultation.
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Features and articles

Expert commentary and practical guidance from ICAEW related to the taxation of business property in the UK regime, including business rates.

Other property taxes can now be found on their own page.

April 2025
  • Article
  • 15 Apr 2025
Topic include: The Spring Statement, the Reserved Investor Fund, business rates, SDLT and the Construction Industry Scheme.
Technical round-up: March 2025
  • Article
  • 27 Mar 2025
This month’s top stories feature 300,000 people who no longer need to submit a tax return, 10 tax changes taking effect from this April, and HMRC launching a new agent query resolution service.
Be bolder in reforming business rates, says ICAEW
  • Article
  • 18 Mar 2025
ICAEW calls for business rates to be included in an extended business tax roadmap in its response to the government’s consultation on business rates reform.
Tax news in brief 26 February 2025
  • Article
  • 25 Feb 2025
Highlights from the broader tax news for the week ending 26 February 2025, including: a new feature in the agent services account (ASA); and an opinion from the general anti-abuse rule (GAAR) advisory panel on inheritance tax (IHT) arrangements.
Tax news in brief 19 February 2025
  • Article
  • 18 Feb 2025
Highlights from the broader tax news for the week ending 19 February 2025, including: an update from HMRC on the progress of some R&D tax relief enquiries; and updated HMRC guidance on employment status.
Member Insights: October/November 2024
  • Article
  • 28 Nov 2024
The Autumn Budget met with much criticism by members, with the impact of employers’ national insurance and the national living wage dominating feedback. Meanwhile, announcements on business rates and incentives for growth were conspicuous by their absence.
How to ensure colleagues understand financial information
  • Article
  • 27 Nov 2024
With local government budgets under pressure and more councils adopting commercialisation strategies, key stakeholders must have a strong grasp of financial information to aid sound decision-making.
Inside local government budgets: finance teams and funding
  • Article
  • 22 Nov 2024
Councils deliver a host of critical services to local communities, while under increasing scrutiny of their finances. ICAEW examines the work of local authority finance teams and explains how income is raised.
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Bloomsbury Accounting and Tax Service

Eligible firms have free access to Bloomsbury Professional's comprehensive online library, comprising around 80 titles from some of the country's leading tax and accounting subject matter experts. Find out who is eligible and how you can access the Accounting and Tax Service.

Exclusive Business rates
  • eBook chapter
  • 2024
  • Jackie Anderson, Mark McLaughlin
  • Incorporating and Disincorporating a Business
A section on business rates for smaller businesses operating from home, covering the circumstances in which home-based businesses are exempt from business rates.
Exclusive Council tax
  • eBook chapter
  • 2024
  • Graeme Connell
  • Property Taxes
A chapter on council tax legislation as it applies in England, covering classes of exempt dwellings, valuation bands, liability, discounts, administration, enforcement, appeals, penalties, non-domestic rating (business rates), business improvement district levies and business rate supplements.
Terms of use

You are permitted to access, download, copy, or print out content from eBooks for your own research or study only, subject to the Acceptable usage terms.

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eBooks

The ICAEW Library & Information Service provides a collection of eBooks as a benefit of membership. Please log in to access these titles. If you are unable to access an eBook, please see our Help and support or contact library@icaew.com.

Exclusive The National Non-Domestic Rate
  • eBook chapter
  • 2023
  • IBFD
  • Global Corporate Tax Handbook
A short section providing an overview of the National Non-Domestic Rate (NNDR) — commonly known as 'business rates' — in the UK. Includes coverage of how business rates are calculated, and the various reliefs available.
Terms of use

You are permitted to access, download, copy, or print out content from eBooks for your own research or study only, subject to the terms of use set by our suppliers and any restrictions imposed by individual publishers. Please see individual supplier pages for full terms of use.

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Useful links

Some resources that we link to may pre-date the latest amendments to the relevant tax regulations. While these links contain useful information, please treat them with appropriate caution.

Business rates in Northern Ireland
  • Website
  • nibusinessinfo
Information on business rates in Northern Ireland from nibusinessinfo.co.uk, a free service offered by Invest Northern Ireland.
Business Rates in Wales
  • Website
  • Business Wales
Non Domestic Rates (NDR) are also known as business rates and are taxes to help pay for local services. These are charges on most non domestic properties. If you pay business rates, your property may be eligible for business rates relief.
Non-domestic rates (business rates)
  • Website
  • Scottish Government
Non-domestic rates, also called business rates, are a property tax which help pay for local council services.
Business rates relief
  • Website
  • GOV.UK
Guidance on the reliefs available on business rates for small businesses, businesses in rural areas, charities and community amateur sports clubs, businesses starting up or relocating to an enterprise zone, and businesses suffering financial hardship.
Business rates on GOV.UK
  • Website
  • GOV.UK
Official guidance aimed at tax payers on local government business rates, including information on your rateable value and reliefs, refunds and rebates.
Business rates: delivering more frequent revaluations
  • Website
  • GOV.UK
Government consultation on increasing the frequency of property revaluations. The original consultation closed in July 2016 but Spring Statement 2018 announced that the next property revaluation for business rates will be in 2021.
A survey of the UK tax system
  • Website
  • Institute for Fiscal Studies
A document providing an overview of the UK tax system, describing how each of the main taxes works and setting them in historical context.

ICAEW accepts no responsibility for the content on any site to which a hypertext link from this site exists. The links are provided ‘as is’ with no warranty, express or implied, for the information provided within them. Please see the full copyright and disclaimer notice.

Join the Tax Faculty

The Tax Faculty is the voice of tax for ICAEW, responsible for all submissions to the tax authorities. Join the Faculty for expert guidance and support enabling you to provide the best advice on tax to your clients or business.
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Representations

ICAEW REP 022/25 Transforming business rates
  • Representation
  • 13 Mar 2025
  • PDF (220kb)
A representation dated 3 March 2025 to a consultation published by HM Treasury on 30 October 2024.
ICAEW REP 065/24 ICAEW Autumn Budget submission 2024
  • Representation
  • 18 Sep 2024
  • PDF (313kb)
Ahead of the Budget on 30 October, ICAEW has published its submission to the Chancellor. ICAEW urges the government to put incentivising growth at the heart of the Budget, with recommendations including: long-term fiscal planning, a fundamental review of the tax system and investment in skills and green technologies.
ICAEW REP 079/22 Digitalising business rates - connecting business rates and tax data
  • Representation
  • 23 Sep 2022
  • PDF (242kb)
A response dated 23 September 2022 to a consultation published by HMRC on 20 July 2022.
ICAEW REP 061/22 Business Rates 2023 revaluation transitional arrangements
  • Representation
  • 29 Jul 2022
  • PDF (145kb)
A response submitted on 29 July 2022 to a consultation published by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities on 30 May 2022.
ICAEW REP 040/22 Online Sales Tax
  • Representation
  • 19 May 2022
  • PDF (170kb)
ICAEW’s response to HM Treasury’s consultation on online sales tax. ICAEW is concerned that an online sales tax (OST) will not address the imbalance of the costs of business rates borne by those retailers with physical premises versus the lower establishment costs of e-commerce sellers but will only serve to create extra complexity and increased compliance burdens.
ICAEW REP 020/22 Business rates 2021-22
  • Representation
  • 21 Feb 2022
  • PDF (240kb)
A response dated 22 February 2022 to the technical consultation on the business rates review published by the government on 30 November 2021.
ICAEW REP 002/22 Tax after COVID post autumn Budget
  • Representation
  • 11 Nov 2021
  • PDF (186kb)
A response dated 11 November 2021 to a consultation published by the Treasury Select Committee on 2 November 2021. The inquiry is ongoing.
ICAEW REP 34/21 Tax after Coronavirus
  • Representation
  • 14 Apr 2021
  • PDF (140kb)
A response dated 13 April 2021 to a consultation published by TSC on 1 March 2021.
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