Written question asked by Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative) on Monday, 19 October 2009, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 21 October 2009. It was answered by Barbara Follett (Labour) on Tuesday, 10 November 2009 on behalf of the Department for Communities and Local Government.

Non-Domestic Rates

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many hereditaments in London will be liable for supplementary business rate in London from April 2010.

Answer: The Business Rate Supplements Act 2009 provides a discretionary power for upper tier authorities to levy a supplement on the business rate to promote additional local economic development projects. The levying authority has discretion to set the threshold for liability for the Business Rate Supplement anywhere above the minimum of £50,000 rateable value.The Mayor of London has just finished consulting on his proposals to levy a Business Rate Supplement from April 2010 as part of the funding package for Crossrail. The minimum threshold provided in legislation means that no more than 50,000 business properties in London on the draft 2010 rating list (18 per cent. of all London properties on that list) will be liable for BRS, with discretion for the Mayor to set a higher threshold exempting additional properties. The dataset used is consistent with the consultation document titled: "The transitional arrangements for the non-domestic rating revaluation 2010 in England", published on 8 July 2009. The number of hereditaments actually liable for the Business Rate Supplement in London will depend on the level at which the Mayor chooses to set the threshold.

Secondary information