Official Report 136KB pdf
Do you want to flag something up about the Executive's response, Fergus?
The question that the committee asked was simple—we wanted clarification on why the date by which appeals could be made against the revaluation assessment had been brought forward from 15 December to 30 September. The reply was disingenuous—it said that the period being granted was longer than that which had been granted in the previous revaluation. However, that pays mere lip service to the fact that the short period that was granted in the previous revaluation had to be extended to 15 December. A revaluation is for five years—although not for life—and it is, therefore, essential that businesses, especially small ones that cannot afford expensive advice, are made aware of the deadline. The Executive must consider extending the deadline until 15 December.
I agree that we need to ensure that the deadline is publicised widely. If there were a large number of late appeals, I hope that the Executive would consider extending the deadline. At this stage, however, I am comfortable with the 30 September deadline. As Fergus Ewing said, we should try to ensure that businesses are aware of the deadline—that would satisfy me.
Would it be in order to draw the matter to the attention of the Local Government Committee?
It might be difficult to do that through this committee, but you could do so informally, Fergus.