Small firms hit by rates relief delay

Whitstable Florist Jane Antoniades is still waiting for her bill to be adjusted

Thousands of small businesses in England who were promised financial help to ease the burden of hikes in business rates are still waiting. 

The chancellor announced a package of measures in the March Budget, including a cap for the most vulnerable firms who were facing huge hikes in their bills.

The delays are causing "panic and confusion", says CVS

Business rates are a property tax based on rental values. Changes to the rates came in in April after a revaluation of property values for England and Wales last year.


Although most businesses overall have seen their bills either stay the same or decrease, the government was forced to act following reports that some small companies faced rate rises of up to 3,000%.

'A real impact'

These are the so called "cliff edge" businesses which Philip Hammond promised to help. He announced that firms losing small business rate relief a discount given to businesses with properties below a certain rateable value - would not see their bills increase by more than £50 a month.

The government set aside £25m this year to pay for the pledge. Whitstable florist Jane Antoniades felt a huge wave of relief when she heard her rates bill would not go up by more than £50 a month, having faced a 353% increase over five years.

But nearly three months on since the start of the new tax regime in April, she's still waiting for her bill to be adjusted.

"So far I've had to pay £437.08 per month, instead of just over £200. It's a huge difference. "We haven't got the capacity to pay this extra money. It's going to have a real impact on our business if we can't claw this money back soon and start paying the right amount," says Jane.