Businesses throughout Aberdeenshire will find out this week if they are entitled to rates relief under a new council scheme.
In March, councillors agreed a local relief scheme after they set aside up to £3m of enabling money. This decision was followed by a further announcement from the Scottish Government introducing a new national and local relief scheme, which will cap increases in 2017/18 at 12.5% for specific business sectors including hotels, pubs, restaurants, cafes and offices
Of the 11,000 business rate payers in Aberdeenshire, many have received notice of increases in their rateable values impacting on their business rates, some of which have significant cost implications.
Since that was agreed, council officers have been working to calculate the business rates bills for more than 11,000 business ratepayers across the region. As part of this, they have been applying the criteria under which certain businesses will be eligible for relief under the new local scheme. Rates bills will be dropping through letterboxes later this week with the reliefs already applied. Those eligible ratepayers will not need to do anything to get the relief, as it has been calculated and automatically awarded.
Those ratepayers who fall under the £120,000 threshold will see rate relief of 50% being applied to any increase as a result of the 2017 revaluation and in addition, those ratepayers already entitled to a reduction under either the Small Business Bonus Scheme (at 25%) or entitled to a reduction as a result of their property being empty (at 10%), will also see additional rates relief being provided.
Business rates bills will be issued at the end of the week, allowing business owners to pay the revised rates from May onwards for the 2017/18 financial year.
It is estimated that as many as 1200 businesses will be eligible under the local scheme.
Meanwhile they will also get information enclosed with their bill explaining the Scottish Government Schemes. These are application based, so any businesses who feel they are eligible are encouraged to apply. The detail of those eligible (hospitality sector and offices) is outlined in the information leaflet enclosed with the bills and the application process is also explained.
Both schemes are in place for one year, giving businesses the opportunity to appeal their rateable value.
Further information at www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/business/business-rates