§ Mr. Meacherasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he proposes to take to reimburse those local authorities which will be deprived of revenue as a result of the Rating Act, 1971, which relieves farmers of part of their previous rate contribution.
§ Mr. Graham PageIf the rating Bill now before Parliament becomes law, the reduction in rate liability will be about £1 million out of a total rate collected of £1,700 million a year. Authorities which qualify for the resources element388W of the rate support grant will largely be compensated for their loss of rateable value by receiving a larger share of the grant.
§ Mr. Meacherasked the Secretary of State for the Environment how he defines a farm for the purposes of de-rating under the Rating Act, 1971.
§ Mr. Graham PageSection 26 of the General Rate Act, 1967, defines agricultural land and buildings which are exempt from rates. The whole of the Rating Bill which is currently before the House is concerned with amending these definitions.