London boroughs collect and administer the taxation of both their residents via Council Tax and local businesses via Business Rates, also known as national non-domestic rates (NNDR).
In 2013-14 London Boroughs collected over £6 billion in business rates, retaining around a third of this through the business rates retention system.
The Fair Funding team undertakes analysis and review of all aspects of policy relating to business rates. This ranges from modelling to explore the viability of business rates pools to analysis of business rates reliefs and rates appeals.
In the past this included extensive analysis and lobbying to influence the Local Government Resource Review which led to the introduction of the business rates retention system, as part of the Local Government Finance Act 2012.
Other work has focused on the Business Rate Supplement (BRS) in London, LABGI and other forms of financial incentives for growth.
Work in this area includes:
- July 2016 - Business rates: delivering more frequent revaluations consultation
- June 2014 - Administration of business rates in England: discussion paper - Response by London Councils
- September 2012 - Business Rate Retention technical consultation response
- October 2011 - Local Government Resource Review consultation response
- June 2011 - Resourcing London - a model for retained business rates
- December 2010 - Response to the White Paper 'Local growth: realising every place's potential'