Retrospective Rates On Port Businesses

EDM number 857 in 2008-09, proposed by Shona McIsaac on 24/02/2009.
Categorised under the topic of Taxation.

That this House is concerned at the disastrous consequences for employment, investment and companies in the statutory ports if the Government presses ahead with its demands for retrospective payment of non-domestic rates back to 2005 by port businesses which were only individually billed and assessed for non-domestic rates in 2008 and cannot now recoup the money by adjusting their fees retrospectively; points out that while these businesses do not object to paying rates individually, they have already been paying rates through the port owners' charges and rents so retrospective demands are not only unjust, unreasonable and impossible to meet, but constitute double taxation which will inflict deep damage on trade and the ports; further suggests that if individual rates should have been assessed and payable in 2005, the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) should have assessed and billed companies then and the Government should have required the VOA to consult, assess and do its job; and therefore points out that, these lapses having occurred, the only safe and fair way out is not to press ahead with back-dated demands which will make many companies insolvent but for the Secretary of State to use her power to prescribe rates and set them at those included in the rating lists at 31 March 2005 updated for inflation, and to begin the new assessments and changes in the new quinquennium starting in 2010.

This motion has been signed by a total of 18 MPs.