Clause 5
Business Rate Supplements Bill
12:45 pm
Dan Rogerson (North Cornwall, Liberal Democrat)
I am somewhat mystified by the argument that the Minister is seeking to make. For potentially multi-million pound projects, we are talking about a bit of photocopying and the provision of a prospectus. His right hon. Friend the Minister for Local Government will be well aware that the situation in my local area is about to change. At present we have six district authorities, which would be billing authorities, and Cornwall county council, which as the top tier would be the levying authority if the provisions were enacted. Providing six copies of the relevant information to bring it that much closer in a very rural authority such as Cornwall—I use it as an example because it is the one that I know best—would make a difference.
I accept, of course, that local authorities may choose to provide that information elsewhere, but the business community, local taxpayers and so on are used to the billing authority being the authority with which they interact when paying their bills and having any queries answered.