The Charity Commission has signed a series of Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) with three Local Authority bodies, as part of a pilot programme of information sharing aimed at tackling instances of business rates avoidance.

The agreements, signed with Oxford City Council, Broxbourne Borough Council and the Kent Intelligence Network, will enable the Commission to carry out coordinated operations with these bodies to look into people or organisations engaging in business rates avoidance. This includes situations where, for example, a landlord might rent out a commercial property to a charity at a very low rate, in order to take benefit from the 80 per cent mandatory business rates relief, which might otherwise have to be paid if the property remained empty.

The Commission and each organisation will appoint a staff member to be a specific point of contact, and they will meet once a year to share information and technical expertise.