Now that celebrations to mark the regeneration of Llanelli's town centre have come to an end, the town's small businesses are being presented with an unexpected bill.
The Valuation Office has recently been doing the rounds according to reports, increasing the rateable values of many of the smaller premises in town to above the magic threshold of £12,500. If that were not bad news enough, the adjustment is being backdated because the Valuation Office says there was an error in its records.
The result of this double whammy is that businesses are not only being presented with unexpected bills, but have also lost their small business rate relief, meaning that the increases are very high for those affected.
The owner of one small shop contacted the Valuation Office to ask if she could appeal. The friendly female voice at the other end said yes, but added that she would also be the person dealing with the appeal.
Unsuccessful appeals can be taken to the Valuations Tribunal. Needless to say this is a time consuming and expensive process.
For some at least in Llanelli, the municipal celebrations have been followed by a nasty hangover..
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