Plea to Welsh Assembly for rates clarification (From Western Telegraph)

Pembrokeshire traders need rates clarification say AMs Paul Davies and Angela Burns

3:10pm Tuesday 22nd December 2009 in News

An appeal to Jane Hutt, Wales' new business minister, to put local traders out of their rates misery is being made by Pembrokeshire politicians.

No announcement has been made by the Welsh Assembly Government on measures it may take to lessen the pain of rates increases.

“We were expecting a statement last week, but the reshuffle following Rhodri Morgan’s retirement seems to have delayed everything,” said Preseli Pembrokeshire AM Paul Davies.

South county AM Angela Burns has now written to the new minister responsible, Carl Sergeant, asking him for urgent answers.

“I have sent him the whole dossier on the rates situation in general and on Narberth in particular where businesses are facing up to 300% increases,” she said.

“We have been pressing for an announcement on possible rates relief or a raising of the threshold for more than a month now but there is still no word.”

Welsh Conservatives say they have repeatedly called on ministers to raise the threshold, delay revaluation until at least April 2011, and introduce a scheme to scrap or reduce rates for up to 90,000 businesses.

In England , the Department for Communities and Local Government issued guidance on business rates and the rates relief threshold on September 30th 2009.

Pembrokeshire’s AMs are concerned that some businesses will close early in the new year unless they get clear answers over the rates bills, the first instalment of which is due to be paid in April.

“Hopefully the run-up to Christmas will be a good one for traders as I know that many rely on this period to get them through the tough next few months,” added Mr Davies.

“At the moment they cannot budget properly for next year because they don’t know if they’ll have to pay all of these huge bills.”

Mrs Burns added: “I know of at least one large shop in Narberth which the owner is splitting into smaller units because he cannot afford the proposed rates bill.

“He’s taking preventative measures to ensure he survives but others are just crossing their fingers and hoping.”