Reminders
A Business Rate reminder will be issued at any time after an instalment is missed.
The law says that a reminder can be sent if your payment does not reach us by the due date. If your payment is in transit, in the post, giro system etc., a reminder will therefore be issued as the Council do not know that you have made a payment until it arrives on your account.
The Business Rate reminder asks that the payments are brought up to date within 7 days:
- If the amount owing is not paid: After a further 7 days the right to pay the year's Business Rates by instalments is lost, and the whole years charge or balance will become payable.
- If the amount owing is paid: Recovery procedures halt unless you fail to pay another instalment on time. At this point a final notice will be sent
The second Business Rate reminder/final notice requires payment of the full balance of the year's charge within 7 days. (Although this notice is out of courtesy as no further notice has to be issued prior to the issue of a summons)
- If the amount owing is not paid in full a Magistrates Court summons may be issued. This will incur additional costs and may result in enforcement proceedings to recover the debt
If you are unable to pay the reminder or final notice balance in full, a Court summons will be issued, incurring £61.00 costs? If the Court issue a Liability Order you will incur a further charge of £14.00 and we can take more powerful action to recover the unpaid Business Rates. In certain circumstances, however, we may consider making a special arrangement for you to pay the balance, including costs.
If you are in arrears with your Business Rates and wish to discuss payments or the action being taken against you, please contact us as soon as possible.
Contact Us
Revenues
West Somerset House
Killick Way
Williton
Taunton
Somerset
TA4 4QA
Telephone: 01643 703704
Email: revenues@westsomerset.gov.uk