Retail Discount
In the Autumn Budget 2018, the Government announced a new relief scheme for retail properties that have a rateable value of below £51,000. The relief will have effect for 2019/20 and 2020/21 financial years.
Under this scheme, eligible ratepayers will receive a one third discount of their final bill. The definition of retail properties will follow that adopted from the previous retail relief scheme in 2014/15 and 2015/16.
As with all reliefs, the amount of relief awarded under the Retail Discount scheme should be recalculated in the event of a change of circumstances. This could include, for example, a backdated change to the rateable value or the hereditament. This change of circumstances could arise during the year in question or during a later year.
The award of this relief must comply with EU law on State Aid. The application form requires you to confirm that you have not received any other State Aid that exceeds in total €200,000, including any other Business Rate Reliefs that you are being granted for premises other than the one to which this declaration and letter relates, under the De Minimus Regulations EC 1407/2013.
Under the European Commission rules, you must retain this for three years and produce it on any request by the UK public authorities or the European Commission (you may need to keep this letter longer than three years for other purposes). Furthermore, information on this aid must be supplied to any other public authority or agency asking for information on ‘De Minimum’ aid for the next three years. Further information on State Aid law can be found on the Gov.uk website.
The full qualifying criteria can be found in the Retail Discount 2019-21 Qualifying Criteria document.
Application Forms have been issued to those that have been identified as having a potential eligibility to this relief. If you would like to make an application for Retail Discount please complete the Retail Discount Application 2019/2020 form.