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UKWA criticises rate relief abolition
Page 47
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THE UK WAREHOUSING Association (UKWA) chairman has warned that abolishing rate relief on empty properties will have a damaging effect on the freight sector.
He has also criticised the government's gradual abolition of relief on construction costs for commercial buildings.
As a result of the Empty Property Rate Rules, which came into force on 1 April, owners of commercial buildings will start to pay rates once the property has been empty for six months. According to the government, this will force unused buildings to come back on to the market, increasing supply and cutting rents.
However, Dennis Potter of UKWA says operators who lose a tenant or contract which supports a particular premises will now not only lose revenue, but face a new tax.
Potter also objects to the government's decision to ratchet down the 4% industrial buildings allowance by 1% each year for the next four years. He says it will significantly increase the costs of commercial developments and hit operators' bottom lines at a time when there are already pressures on the industry