1.—(1) The title of these Regulations is the Non-Domestic Rating (Demand Notices and Discretionary Relief) (Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2006 and they come into force on 1 April 2007.
(2) These Regulations apply in relation to Wales.
2. In regulation 2 of the Non-Domestic Rating (Discretionary Relief) Regulations 1989(1) insert at the end —
“(6) Paragraph (3) does not apply where the billing authority revokes a decision or makes a relevant variation of a determination as a consequence only of the commencement of section 63 (Rural settlement lists etc.) of the Local Government Act 2003(2).”.
3.—(1) The Non-Domestic Rating (Demand Notices) (Wales) Regulations 1993(3) are amended as follows.
(2) In paragraph 5(a) of Schedule 1, for “section 43(5)” there is substituted “section 43(4A)(b), (5)”.
(3) In paragraph 1 of Part I of Schedule 2 —
(a)In the note headed “Rural Rate Relief” —
(i)after the words “From 1 April 2002” there is inserted “until 31 March 2007”; and
(ii)there is added a third paragraph —
“From 1 April 2007 the Rural Rate Relief scheme is revoked and replaced by the National Assembly for Wales’s Small Business Rate Relief scheme mentioned below.”.
(b)At the end there is added —
From 1 April 2007 occupiers of —
(a)certain hereditaments with a rateable value of £2,000 or less are entitled to rate relief at 50% of the full rates bill;
(b)certain hereditaments with a rateable value of more than £2,000 but not more than £5,000 are entitled to rate relief at 25% of the full rates bill;
(c)post offices (and hereditaments which include a post office) with a rateable value of not more than £9,000 are entitled to rate relief at 100% of the full rates bill; and
(d)post offices (and hereditaments which include a post office) with a rateable value of more than £9,000 but not more than £12,000 are entitled to rate relief at 50% of the full rates bill.
In the cases of (a), (b) and (d) above billing authorities have discretion to provide relief in respect of all or part of the remaining 50% or 75% as the case may be.”.
(4) In paragraph 1 of Part II of Schedule 2 —
(a)In the note headed “Rhyddhad Ardrethi Gwledig” —
(i)after the words “O 1 Ebrill 2002 ymlaen” there is inserted “hyd at 31 Mawrth 2007”; and
(ii)there is added a third paragraph —
“O 1 Ebrill 2007 ymlaen mae'r cynllun Rhyddhad Ardrethi Gwledig wedi'i ddiddymu ac fe'i disodlir gan gynllun Rhyddhad Ardrethi Busnesau Bach Cynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru a grybwyllir isod.”
(b)At the end there is added —
O 1 Ebrill 2007 ymlaen bydd gan feddianwyr—
(a)hereditamentau penodol ac iddynt werth ardrethol o £2,000 neu lai yr hawl i ryddhad ardrethi o 50% o'r bil ardrethi llawn;
(b)hereditamentau penodol ac iddynt werth ardrethol o fwy na £2,000 ond nid mwy na £5,000 yr hawl i ryddhad ardrethi o 25% o'r bil ardrethi llawn;
(c)swyddfeydd post (a hereditamentau sy'n cynnwys swyddfa bost) ac iddynt werth ardrethol o nid mwy na £9,000 yr hawl i ryddhad ardrethi o 100% o'r bil ardrethi llawn; ac
(ch)swyddfeydd post (a hereditamentau sy'n cynnwys swyddfa bost) ac iddynt werth ardrethol o fwy na £9,000 ond nid mwy na £12,000 yr hawl i ryddhad ardrethi o 50% o'r bil ardrethi llawn.
Yn achosion (a), (b) ac (ch) uchod mae gan awdurdodau bilio y disgresiwn i ddarparu rhyddhad o ran y cyfan neu ran o'r 50% neu'r 75% gweddilliol yn ôl y digwydd.”.
(5) Nothing in this regulation requires any matter to be included in any notice served in respect of any amount payable in respect of any day before 1 April 2007.
Signed on behalf of the National Assembly for Wales under section 66(1) of the Government of Wales Act 1998(4).
D. Elis-Thomas
The Presiding Officer of the National Assembly
12 December 2006