Charities: Coronavirus

(asked on 18th May 2020) - View Source

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential merits for charities of raising the rateable value threshold for the Coronavirus Business Rates Relief scheme.


Answered by
Jesse Norman Portrait
Jesse Norman
This question was answered on 2nd June 2020

The twelve-month business rates holiday for retail, hospitality and leisure properties applies to all properties used for these purposes, regardless of their rateable value.

There is a rateable value threshold for the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grants Fund (RHLGF). The RHLGF has been designed to help small businesses in some of the sectors which have been hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic. Only properties used for retail, hospitality or leisure purposes with a rateable value of under £51,000 can access grants under that scheme. £51,000 is the accepted threshold in the business rates system for a “small” business, as only businesses which occupy properties with a rateable value of less than £51,000 can benefit from the Small Business Multiplier rate. This threshold applies across England, thus providing a straightforward existing basis which Local Authorities can use to issue grants.

Larger businesses and charities may have access to other forms of support which the Government has announced, such as the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme and the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.

The Government continues to monitor the economic situation and is keeping support to businesses and other organisations under review.

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