Telecommunications/Broadband Services (Hansard, 28 April 2003)

§ Mr. Robathan
To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what bilateral meetings his Department has had with(a) the Valuations Office and (b) the Department of Trade and Industry with regard to the impact of rateable value taxation on telecommunication companies. [107022]

§ Mr. Leslie
Officials of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister as a matter of course, discuss rating issues with the Valuation Office Agency and the Department of Trade and Industry, and these discussions do include representations made by various ratepayers, or groups of ratepayers including the telecommunications industry.

§ Mr. Robathan
To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the reasons why telecommunication rateable values are(a) calculated on a system of network revenue for BT and (b) based on network assets for other fixed line telecommunication companies. [107023]

§ Mr. Leslie
All telecommunication network rateable values are calculated in accordance with the definition of rateable value contained in schedule 6 of the local Government Finance Act 1988. The choice of valuation methodology which is not defined, depends on the circumstances of each case and can be challenged on appeal against the assessment.
The choice of valuation method depends on the evidence available and reliability of the evidence in each case but all rating valuation methods seek to determine the same standard of rateable value as defined in schedule 6.

§ Mr. Robathan
To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on his forecast for the next financial year of rateable value taxation receipts from(a) BT, (b) other fixed line telecommunications operators,(c) cable TV operators, (d) cellular and wireless network operators and (e) broadcasters. [107024]

§ Mr. Leslie
No forecast is made centrally of the amounts of rates to be paid by individual companies. Each company will be separately billed in respect of each property it occupies which is shown on a rating list.

§ Mr. Robathan
To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on his assessment of the impact of rateable value taxation on(a) alternative telecommunication companies and (b) the level of investment in new broadband infrastructure. [107025]
247W

§ Mr. Leslie
No assessment has been made. However, the Government, in their response last month to the Broadband Stakeholders Group second annual report, undertook to review the business rating system as it applies to communications infrastructure.