Rebecca Evans MS, Minister for Finance and Local Government
Today I am publishing a 12-week technical consultation on the draft Non-Domestic Rating (Persons Required to Supply Information and Service of Notices) (Wales) Regulations 2023.
In 2018, the Welsh Government announced a package of measures intended to address fraud and avoidance within the non-domestic rates system. These regulations will enact one of those measures, by providing local authorities with a new legal power to request information from certain third parties. This will aid authorities in discharging their role in the billing and collection of non-domestic rates. We continue to examine how other measures can be used to ensure that the non-domestic rates are collected as effectively and as fairly as possible.
Non-domestic rates provide a vital revenue stream that contribute towards the costs of local government services, services that we all benefit from.
This consultation will run for 12 weeks and close on 16 September 2022. It asks for views of a technical nature regarding the drafting of the legislation and for any other comments about the regulations. Following the consultation, the Welsh Government will make any necessary technical changes and aims to make the regulations in time for commencement from 1 April 2023.
The consultation is available at:
https://gov.wales/draft-non-domestic-rating-regulations-address-fraud-and-avoidance