Last Updated on: 22nd November 2023, 04:46 pm
On Tuesday (25th July, 2023), the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) closed their consultation surrounding the business rates system. In November of last year (2022), the VOA published a document outlining the changes that will be implemented for the 2023 rating list, causing uproar from business rates payers over the outdated system.
In response, the government announced a new bill to modernise the system and opened an online consultation to allow the public to make their views known. The VOA asked what extra information should be shared about business rates valuations, what is needed to judge if a valuation is fair and what data is considered sensitive.
Clare Whitfield, Head of Surveying and Operations at RVA Surveyors, commented on the process: “The process needs to be simplified, and more transparent. Also, the lack of ability to communicate with a VOA caseworker directly from the outset means that no support and guidance from the VOA is given until they have begun their case.”
The VOA are yet to release the findings from the consultation, however, Anthony Hughes, Managing Director at RVA Surveyors noted: “Until the VOA have inspected every commercial property with all the relevant evidence at hand, they cannot confirm that every property has a fair and accurate valuation. Realistically, on-site inspections of every commercial property are well within the VOA’s ability.”
