£1.3m rate relief going to waste

Small businesses in Oldham are failing to claim more than £1.3million in business rate rebates.

And Leaseholder United say that businesses are losing on three years of back payments.

The Government has in force a regulation that provides a business rate rebate for small businesses across the country. The catch is that firms don’t automatically get the relief, they must apply and the Government has not made this widely known.

Speaking to Chronicle Business, Lawrence Jones, whose company manages the website leaseholdersunit ed.com says: “Currently, there are almost half a million small businesses in the UK not claiming £260 million of rate relief.

At 26 per cent, the North-West has the worst take up rate of any region.”

Mr Jones is campaigning for stronger local community business awareness, adding: “These figures are extremely troubling.

“To miss out on a rebate at any time is bad enough but to miss out in the current economic climate is scandalous. In Oldham alone there are more than 2,000 small businesses not claiming when they should. I urge everyone to visit the site to see if they have a claim.”

Key facts:

£15,000: All businesses with a business tax rate value of £15,000 or less are entitled to a relief payment (£21,000 in London).

£1,000: The maximum relief payment for each year.

26 per cent: Percentage of eligible businesses in the North-West taking up relief (lowest in UK).

£1.33 million: Amount left unclaimed by Oldham’s small businesses.

2,146: Number of businesses in Oldham that are entitled but are not claiming the rate relief.

Leaseholdersunited.com provides a wealth of information regarding the little known rate relief provision. Find out if money is available to you by clicking on the scrolling banner regarding Small Business Rate Relief (SBRR) on the www.leaseholdersunited.com homepage.