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Airports: Business Rates

Asked by Mr Richard HoldenConservativeTreasuryTabled Answered 31 March 2026UIN 122243

The question

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 17 March 2026 to Question 118908, what assessment underpins increases in rateable values of up to 295% for UK civil airports between 1 April 2021 and 1 April 2024; and what specific economic indicators were used to determine those increases.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson

All assessments are underpinned by statutory assumptions defined in Schedule 6 of the Local Government Finance Act 1988.

For the 2026 revaluation, we consider general economic circumstances and the receipts and expenditure relevant to individual airports at the valuation date 1 April 2024. As this is the first revaluation since Covid, a large number of ratepayers may see a significant increase in rateable value compared to the previous valuation date 1 April 2021, when the country was in a pandemic lockdown.

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