pub business rates backdated

THEEARL

Hi 
I bought a pub 2.5 years ago, rates were £0, I recently sold the pub as it was not doing well and good old Starmer put wages up and NI, making it impossible to earn a bean.
anyway just received a letter from business rates norfolk for £45000.00 per year backdated 2 years when I bought the pub, there is a 50% discount applied but my question is, can they just do this, and backdate it, I sold as I made no money and now I simply don't have anything to pay this . can anyone advise please

DE_612183

why did you think 2 and a half years ago that you didn't need to pay any rates?

DullGreyGuy

lbayfield said:

I bought a pub 2.5 years ago, rates were £0, I recently sold the pub as it was not doing well and good old Starmer put wages up and NI, making it impossible to earn a bean.
anyway just received a letter from business rates norfolk for £45000.00 per year backdated 2 years when I bought the pub, there is a 50% discount applied but my question is, can they just do this, and backdate it, I sold as I made no money and now I simply don't have anything to pay this . can anyone advise please

Why were the rates £0? 

Did you register with the council for the business rates? Did you apply for any discounts or exemptions?

You say "I", so what did you actually buy? A limited company? Buyout a sole trader? Did you run it as a sole trader or a company? Did you sell the company, if there was one, as part of offloading the business?

lincroft1710

Business rates can most definitely be backdated.


If you were a sole trader, they can pursue you as an individual if you don't pay.


If you couldn't absorb the wage and NI increase, then clearly the pub was doing very badly indeed. 

daveyjp

Starting point is why you believed the rates bill was £0.

Provide that evidence and advice can be provided.  

However if rates were due they will need to be paid.  Its a tax so can be chased.

J_B

Our holiday rental business is in Wales, where the business rates can be 100% discounted if you fit the criteria! 

In Sept 2023 I sent our latest occupation info to VOA, then in January 2025 they replied saying that we needed to be moved to the 'wealthysecondhomeowners' 150% council tax band.

The council immediately demanded 6.5k for 23/24, 7k for 24/25 and 7.5k for 25/26! 15 months to reply and gave us 15 days to pay!

I phoned the council and said I couldn't afford and their simple reply was "well, how much can you afford"

I stupidly (?) offered them 1k a month and they snapped my hand off!!!!

Then rang a few months later and persuaded them to drop it to 500 pcm.

Could you try this approach?