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Business Rates: Tax Allowances

Asked by Sir James CleverlyConservativeMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled Answered 21 October 2025UIN 78218

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 15 September 2025 to Question 74221 on Business Rates: Tax Allowance, whether any central government body is responsible for monitoring rate relief fraud across local authorities.

Answered by Alison McGovern

Business Rates are a local tax and local authorities are responsible for decisions on the awarding of relief, ensuring compliance, and tackling fraud.

The Government also provides local authorities with data-matching services to help detect fraud and errors in business rates by comparing different datasets, through the Cabinet Office’s National Fraud Initiative (NFI).

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