St.Helens Council will be operating a Discretionary Rate Relief (Revaluation) scheme to support local ratepayers who have experienced large increases in their business rates as a result of the 2017 revaluation.
The level of Business Rates that you have to pay could be reduced if you qualify for one or more of the reliefs available. Some reliefs are mandatory in certain circumstances and others can be awarded at the discretion of St.Helens Council.
Discretionary Rate Relief (Revaluation) Scheme
Applications for support from eligible ratepayers will be considered against the following criteria:
1. The business is liable for business rates within St Helens (and has no more than 10 premises in
England which are located outside the borough of St Helens).
2. It is eligible to claim discretionary rate relief and can comply with requirements under State Aid de
minimis regulations (EC 1407/2013), which allow businesses to receive up to a maximum of
200,000 euros of ‘de minimis’ aid over a rolling three year period.
3. The ratepayer has not received relief for the property under the Supporting Small Businesses
scheme.
4. There has been an increase of at least 5% in the rateable value of the property between 31 March
2017 (the 2010 list) and 1 April 2017 (the 2017 list).
5. There has been an increase of at least £500 during 2017/18 in the amount of business rates due
compared to the previous financial year.
Relief will be awarded for one financial year and be backdated to 1 April in appropriate cases. Ratepayers will need to apply annually should they wish to continue to receive support under this scheme which will run until 2020/21.
Other Reductions
As well as Discretionary Rate Relief, St.Helens Council is offering a reduction in rates to qualifying businesses in a number of areas. These are: Empty Property Rate Relief, Small Business Rate Relief, Charitable CASC Relief, Rural Rate Relief, Hardship Relief, Supporting Small Business Scheme and Pub Relief Scheme.
For more information on all Reductions and Relief schemes click here
If you think your business qualifies for either pub, Supporting Small Businesses or the Discretionary Rate Relief (Revaluation) schemes, contact the Council’s Business Rates Team on 01744 675264 or email businessrates@sthelens.gov.uk.
