AQW 6059/22-27

Mr Eóin Tennyson
Alliance Party
Upper Bann

Tabled Date: 09/02/2024
Answered On Date: 20/02/2024
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Finance whether she will commission an independent review of the rating system in Northern Ireland.

Answer:

The rating system has been the subject of extensive reviews in recent years, including the 2019 Review of Business Rates, and the recent consultation exercise which closed on 13 February, all while delivering on 3 revaluation exercises in 8 years, and being reconfigured to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic.

My preference in the first instance would be to work with the new Fiscal Council to see what can be done to adjust a system of tax that has largely proven robust and resilient in revenue terms in the face of many obstacles over recent years.