The Charity Tax Group (CTG) has today written to the Treasury Minister responsible for charity taxation, Damian Hinds MP, to ask that the Government confirm that charity business rates relief will not be endangered by the Chancellor’s proposal to devolve responsibility of business rates to local authorities.

At a recent charity roundtable event the Minister assured sector bodies that the Business Rates Review would consider the best interests of the charity sector. This commitment to protect the invaluable relief from business rates for charities has also been reinforced by officials throughout the consultation process and also by previous Ministers responsible for charity taxation.

CTG regards this commitment as essential at a time when local authorities are limiting discretionary relief for charities with others even questioning whether all charities should be entitled to the mandatory 80% relief. Any attempt to remove or dilute charity rate relief would be counterproductive because it would seriously weaken the ability of charities to carry out their activities for the public benefit.

CTG Chairman, John Hemming, commented: “A clear statement confirming that charity business rates relief will not be affected by this policy would help to allay concerns in the sector that this policy announcement could threaten this invaluable relief, which was worth £1.69bn to the sector last year.”

Notes for editors

The Charity Tax Group (CTG) has over 500 members of all sizes representing all types of charitable activity. It was set up in 1982 to make representations to Government on charity taxation and it has since become the leading voice for the sector on this issue. CTG has persuaded successive Governments to introduce a range of tax reliefs and has also campaigned successfully to protect existing concessions, saving charities a considerable amount of money in the process.