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Business Rate Supplements Bill

I am more than happy to look into the fast-track system. However, the total number of proposals relating to properties in ports since November is 235 and, overall, 540 proposals have been made over the lifetime of the 2005 list. However, I am more than happy to look further at that fast-track system. To go back to my original point, we are talking about a point of principle to do with the business rate system. It is about fairness. To repeat what I have said, determining liability takes us back to the issue of when the liability started, in 2005 or 2010, as it will do under the BRS system and in future. People who have already paid their business rates in full would be disadvantaged if we changed the system. That is why the decision was made to put in place the deferral system, which allows an unprecedented eight years in which to pay.