What are rates?

Rates are a property-based tax, designed to raise revenue to make a contribution towards the cost of services within Northern Ireland. They are based on the value of properties for households and businesses.

How is the rates bill made up?

A ratepayer's bill in Northern Ireland consists of two elements:

A District Rate

A Regional Rate

District Rate - what is it used for?

The District rate is sent by each Council and the money raised is used to fund the services that it provides such as:

Refuse Collection and Disposal - Implementation of Waste Management- Programme- Street Cleaning- Parks and Recreation Grounds- Leisure Facilities- Arts and Events- Environmental Health Services- Building Control - Community Centres- Support to the Voluntary & Community Sector

Regional Rate - what is it used for?

The Regional Rate is set by Central Government and local Councils HAVE NO control over this. It is the same for all 26 Councils and is used to contribute to the cost of providing a range of services such as: - Education, Housing, Social Services, Roads, Water and Sewerage.

VLA have carried out a re-evaluation of all properties based on their valuation at 1 January 2005. Your rates bill from 1 April 2007 will be based on the capital value of your home. A list of all capital values may be obtained from www.mycapitalvalueni.gov.uk

Information on the rental value of your non-domestic property can be found on http://www.dfpni.gov.uk/lps/lps/index/property_rating.htm

For further information on changes to domestic rates please click the link www.ratingreviewni.gov.uk