OUR 15 POINT PLAN

NIIRTA members and many other small businesses are facing a perfect storm of high costs in running their businesses. This is making it harder for them to remain in business and is limiting their ability to invest in their business and employ more staff.

Our Cut Business Cost campaign is about highlighting these financial pressures and the impact of excessive Red Tape to all of our elected representatives and Government at every level.

Our campaign is not just about the problems - it’s all about the solutions:

Rates Revaluation - 45% of our members’ rate bills were increased by between 20-200%

National Living Wage - 40% increase in wages bill by 2020

Energy Costs - highest in the UK – including Climate Change levy

Auto Enrolment Pensions - 9% increase in wages bill by 2019

Sewage charges - from NI Water costing members up to £20,000 per annum.

Bin Collections - used to be covered in rate bills. Currently costing our members up to £10,000 per year. This is in addition to Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations NI 2007 payments

Examples of red tape and excessive regulation• Quarterly employment surveys

• Annual employment surveys

• Equality monitoring surveys

• Business register and employment surveys

• Quarterly index of services returns

• NI annual business surveys

• Quarterly stock inquiries

• Quarterly surveys of capital expenditure

• Carrier bag levy - charged quarterly with potential business visit from NIEA.

• Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations NI 2007 - quarterly charges with business visits from NIEA

• RDCO compliance - monthly returns submitted to HM Revenue & Customs and business visits which can last most of the day.

• Standard quarterly VAT returns.

• PAYE administration

1. The Economic Advisory Group, established by DETI, must make the high cost of business their top priority by researching the problem in detail and highlighting solutions.

2. The NI Executive to implement a better regulation strategy across every Government department with a ‘one-in, one-out approach’ to any new regulation, with yearly targets.

3. Support the recommendation of DETI Red Tape Report for an effective Better Regulation Champion to work across departments to challenge bad practice and ensure better regulation targets are met.

4. If the UK Government is serious about implementing a National Living Wage by 2020 it must ensure small employers have appropriate tax relief in place to ensure affordability of a 40% increase in their wage bill.

5. NIIRTA supports the recent Review of Business Rates established by the Department of Finance. We will be shortly setting out our policy priorities in our alternative Programme for Government.

6. The Small Business Rate Relief Scheme should be increased from £15k NAV to £18k NAV.

7. An independent review of the recent Rates Revaluation needs to be set up to objectively re-examine its valuation conclusions. Future Revaluations should take place every three years.

8. The Empty Premises Rate Relief Scheme should be extended and its

qualifying period reduced from 12 to 6 months.

9. Introduce a system where Rates income fluctuates with economic cycles.

10. Provide exemptions for small traders investing in expansion, allowing them to offset capital investment against their rate bills.

11. Remove the smallest retailers from the rating list altogether.

12. Establish a Rural Retail Rate Relief Scheme to support the vital role independent retailers play in villages.

13. Review the valuation scheme in sectors where rental value is not fit for purpose, for example, in forecourts (which pay high rates) and online distribution centres (which pay low rates).

14. There should be appropriate reimbursement for independent retailers administering the Carrier Bag Levy and the Minister should consult with them on how proceeds of the levy are spent.

15. NIIRTA calls upon the Department of Finance to introduce a Green Energy Rate Relief Scheme for small retailers. This would enable retailers to install energy efficient refrigeration, lighting and heating and offset the investment in their Rate bill. This scheme would support investment in Green technology, support new employment in the sustainable energy sector and reduce energy bills for independent retailers.

Addressing the problem -NIIRTA’s 15 Point Plan