HEARD IT ON THE GRAPEVINE...

The grapevine is aquiver with speculation surrounding how the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) is going to handle the enormous back-log of business rates appeals that are still outstanding, with more than 300,000 cases remaining unresolved.

The VOA are gearing up for the 2017 Revaluation, the deadline for which has already been pushed back by two years from 2015 and extended from the usual five-yearly cycle to seven years, preparing new charges for around 1.8 million business premises. These proposed new charges will be made public in September this year and come into force in April 2017, after which you can do something about them!

The word on the (property) street is that, due to the immense workload, even working through 10,000 appeals **per month,**that the government agency will need to outsource the appeals process to a third party. This is not brand new information as some local authorities have already engaged Capita to give them a hand with the collection of business rates and council tax, as well as recruiting property consultants G L Hearn to assist them. Will more agencies be asked to swap side to help the tax man cope?

The question on every professional's mind is, ‘How could you possibly justify a system whereby a private company is involved in settling and collecting property rates on behalf of the government and local authorities?’

For years property firms, business occupier groups and professional advisers have campaigned for the system to be shaken up and for the processes for appealing business rates liabilities to be simpler and speedier. A spokesperson for the Department of Communities and Local Government has assured us that change is on the way “…a modern and more effective business rates system, where cases can be resolved earlier and refunds can be paid quicker”. Promises…promises…! Faced with 250,000 appeals yet to be cleared with a new wave after April 2017, how exactly are things not going to get a whole lot worse, in all sorts of ways!

We don’t think it’s the answer to the VOA’s woeful system or its unmanageable workload.

Meantime, we continue to swim through treacle trying to clear our own 'backlog' and make our contribution to the solution!