Relief at last for Montgomeryshire's self catering businesses

5.25.10pm UTC (GMT +0000) Wed 13th Jun 2007

Mick Bates Welsh Liberal Democrat AM for Montgomeryshire, has welcomed the announcement that self-catering businesses will be eligible for small business rate relief. They had initially been excluded from the scheme, causing major financial problems for many tourism businesses in the constituency.

Mick said: "When the rate relief scheme was brought in earlier this year, I was inundated with letters, phone calls and emails from concerned business owners who just didn't know how they were going to meet their business rate payments. I welcome this announcement, and would urge the Government to bring forward an amendment to the legislation as soon as possible, so that Council's can return any payments already made by the affected businesses.

"There are still concerns around the scheme overall. I want the Minister to look at the case of some of the community councils, for example, which are now liable for rates on village halls, and sporting facilities."

Notes:

· Earlier this year, the long-standing rural rate relief scheme was replaced with a Wales-wide small business rate relief scheme. This has led to benefits for some small businesses (for example, those in Llandrindod Wells which, because of the definitions of population, were not eligible before) but also meant that slightly larger businesses in rural areas have to pay rates for the first time.

• In the initial Order, self-catering accommodation was not classed as a small business, the Minister for Public Delivery announced that this exemption was to be removed.

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