RDAs waste £2m paying tax on empty buildings

[Mark]

RDAs hit with £2 million 'bombsite Britain' tax bill

by Jamie Carpenter, Regen.net, 26 February 2009
http://ecm.hbpl.co.uk/re?l=ew0b7hI45fgwfuI1

England's nine regional development agencies have budgeted to pay more
than £2 million on a controversial tax on vacant buildings in the current financial year, it was revealed yesterday.

Figures contained in a written Parliamentary answer show that the RDAs
have budgeted to pay £2.1 million in business rates on empty properties they own in 2008/09.

Yorkshire Forward has budgeted to pay the most - £1 million, while the
East Midlands Development Agency only anticipates paying £24,000,
according to the figures.

The levy, which was introduced in the last budget, was intended to
encourage owners of empty properties to bring such buildings back into
use.

But it has been branded the 'bombsite Britain' tax because many property owners have chosen to bulldoze their buildings rather than pay it.

A dossier of evidence on the impact of the policy, compiled by urban
regeneration company chief executives, revealed at the end of last year that six development sites in Leicester, an industrial building in Swindon and an office block in Southend had been demolished due to the policy.