Promoting and enhancing best practice and technical expertise

Rating Talking Heads 2025: Transforming Business Rates

HMT's Policy Paper: The Interim Report

This event runs as an informal discussion with a small panel of leading and informed practitioners extracting the nuances from the selected topic - Transforming Business Rates. They discuss practical issues that arise, with participants in the meeting being encouraged to listen, join in, ask questions and share comments.

Start Date Venue Price  
20 October 2025 Virtual Monthly Discussion £55 BOOK

Note: All prices are to be paid in GBP and are subject to VAT at the prevailing rate

Event duration: 1 Hour Topical Panel Discussion.
Registration from: 12.55. Event starts at: 13.00. Event finishes at: 14.00.

On 11 September 2025 HMT published an Interim Report on their Transforming Business Rates consultation plan from 2024.

The Discussion Paper received engagement from over 230 organisations gathering the views that now shape the direction of travel. This event will provide an overview of the government’s response, outline the key themes raised by stakeholders and provide the audience with a debate among leading rating surveyors covering issues that will potentially shape their world in the near future.  

The key areas being explored for possible change in the business rates system are:

  • Tax Structure Reform - considering a move from the current ‘slab’ system (single multiplier on the full Rateable Value) to a ‘slice’ system (marginal tax rates, similar to income tax bands).
  • Small Business Rates Relief (SBRR) - reviewing thresholds, tapering, and the single-property condition, to better support growth and expansion.
  • Improvement Relief (IR) - assessing whether to extend the 12-month window and broaden eligibility, once more data on current use is available.
  • Receipts & Expenditure Methodology - examining concerns around uncertainty and fairness, particularly for sectors like airports, ahead of the 2029 revaluation.
  • Antecedent Valuation Date (AVD) - exploring whether shortening the gap between valuation and list start could improve responsiveness without increasing revaluation frequency.
  • Administrative Reform - using the merger of the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) with HMRC to deliver more efficient appeals, transparency, and streamlined processes.

This is a classic and best practice use of Rating Talking heads.

Speakers