On 8 December 2011, Cabinet Secretary for Finance announced that the SBBS will continue to offer the same levels of relief (discounts) to Scottish businesses next year.
Thresholds and percentage of relief offered are shown below.
If you are eligible you must apply and should contact your local Council.
Business Bonus - 2012-13 thresholds (same as 2011-12)
| Combined rateable value (RV) of all business properties in Scotland: | 2012-13 |
| Up to £10,000 | 100% (i.e. no rates payable) |
| £10,001 to £12,000 | 50% |
| £12,001 to £18,000 | 25% |
| £18,001 to £25,000 | 25% on each individual property with a rateable value not exceeding £18,000* |
*This will allow a business with 2 or more properties with a cumulative rateable value of under £25,000 to qualify for relief at 25% on individual properties with a RV up to £18,000.
What is Small Business Bonus Scheme (SBBS)
From April 1 2011 tens of thousands of small businesses will continue to pay no rates at all under the Scottish Government's small business bonus scheme.
You could save up to almost £4,260 year, depending on your rateable value.
Average savings from previous years of the scheme for each local authority area can be found here.
What's the catch?
There isn't one! The Scottish Government wants to help genuinely small businesses, particularly in the current economic climate.
Who qualifies?
You may qualify if you pay non-domestic rates for properties with a combined rateable value of £25,000 or less.
Interested? - How to apply
If you are currently in receipt of the Small Business Bonus and your circumstances have not changed you should not need to re-apply, however if you are in any doubt you should contact your local authority.
If you think you may now be eligible, you must apply for the bonus Scheme. For an application form please contact your local authority.
The simple application form will only take a few minutes to complete and you only need supply the name of the business, the address and the rateable value - it could be the easiest £4,100 you make this year.
When calling your local authority ask to speak to the revenue or non-domestic rates section and ask for a Small Business Bonus Scheme application form. Many local authorities also have forms available to download online.
Your local authority can also advise about eligibility if you have more than one business property and interaction with other non-domestic rate reliefs.
Find out more
For more information and advice please contact your local authority.