Business rates
Business rates are collected by Rochdale Council but are based
on the rateable value of the property which is assessed by the
Valuation Office of the Inland Revenue.
The non-domestic rates collected by local authorities are,
subject to special arrangements for the City of London, paid into a
central pool and then redistributed to local authorities and major
precepting authorities. Our share of redistributed rate
income, together with income from council taxpayers, the revenue
support grant provided by the Government and certain other sums, is
used to pay for the services provided by us and other local
authorities in the area.
Rateable value
The rateable value of non-domestic property is fixed in most
cases by an independent valuation officer of the Valuation Office
Agency. All non-domestic property is revalued every five years.
From 1 April 2000, the rateable value of a property represents its
annual open market rental value as at 1 April 1998. The values of
all property in respect of which rates are payable to us are shown
in the local rating list, a copy of which may be inspected at the
Manchester Valuation Office Agency.
The valuation officer may alter the value if he believes that
the circumstances of the property have changed. The ratepayer (and
certain others who have an interest in the property) may also
appeal in certain circumstances, by proposing a change in value. If
in any case the ratepayer and the valuation officer do not agree,
the matter will be referred as an appeal to a valuation
tribunal.
Appeals against rateable values can be made at any time before
the next revaluation. In general the rateable value will be changed
to no earlier than the start of the financial year in which the
appeal is made.
Information about the circumstances in which a change in
rateable value may be proposed and how such a proposal may be made
is available from the valuation office.
National non-domestic rating multiplier
We work out the business rates bill by multiplying the rateable
value of the property by the appropriate multiplier. From 1 April
2005 there are two multipliers; the standard non-domestic rating
multiplier and the small business non-domestic rating multiplier.
The Government sets the multipliers for each financial year for the
whole of England. The Government normally changes both multipliers
every year in line with inflation. The current multipliers are
shown on the front of your non domestic rate bill.