Time to change how we assess business rates for hydro
Anticipating the Chancellor’s Budget in March 2017, the chief executive of the British Hydropower Association (BHA) – of which we are members – Simon Hamlyn, warned that the business rates system for hydroelectric schemes was “fundamentally flawed” and needed “urgent attention”. We’re inclined to agree. Simon’s voice was one of many in the industry that has expressed concern about the Government’s business rates re-evaluation recently. As a result of the recent changes, some small businesses in the renewables sector will now see their business rates increase by as much as 900%. Clearly, this kind of hike in taxation could be devastating…
