By Miriam Bell from NICVA
Published on 27 Jan 2005
NICVA's response to the review of the rating system.
NICVA broadly welcomes the government's review of the rating system in Northern Ireland.
The Review says rates are the only area in which a local administration can raise substantial revenues to tackle poverty, "We believe, therefore, that a fairly structured system of domestic rates, whilst unpleasant for many, can play a key role in generating resources that can be used to fund an anti-poverty strategy."
However, it argues that any minimum payment should be low in recognition of the fact that most people in cheap houses are poor. At the other extreme, the principle of equity demands that there should be no upper limit. If a house is worth £2,000,000 it should be rated accordingly, not on the same basis as a property valued at £500,000.
NICVA's Response to the Rating Review (92Kb)
For more information on NICVA's response contact Paul McGill:
Paul McGill
028 9087 7777
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