Business rates
Paying business rates
Businesses pay business rates to the Treasury but local District
and Borough councils are charged with the collection. They are
referred to as billing authorities. In West Sussex, the billing
authorities are: Adur District Council, Arun District Council,
Chichester District Council, Crawley Borough Council, Horsham
District Council, Mid Sussex District Council and Worthing Borough
Council. You can check which is your billing
authority.
Rates are calculated from the rateable value of your business
premises and a multiplier set by the Government. The multiplier for
2009/2010 applicable to West Sussex is 48.5 pence in the pound.
Small businesses can apply for relief from this value and can then
pay 48.1 pence in the pound.
Getting help
Some businesses qualify for relief from business rates. In
general, small businesses with premises a rateable value of less
than £15,000 and some rural businesses (e.g. village shops or fuel
stations) can apply for a reduced business rate. Application forms
are available from your billing authority.
Who to talk to
For free impartial information and advice on this and a wide
range of business matters, contact Business Link on 0845 600 9 006
or go to the Business
Link website.
Deferring payments
The Government has announced that it will allow businesses to
defer part of the planned 5% increase in business rates to
2010/2011 and 2011/2012. Businesses must pay the 2% increase now
but can apply to defer the rest into two equal payments in the next
two financial years. Apply to your billing authority. More
information can be found in the document below.
Supporting documents