Hospitality Ulster chief executive Colin Neill warned anger and frustration over the rise in rates have reached levels greater than during the Covid pandemic, when many businesses were forced to close their doors.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cWe all believed then that we could get through Covid with support.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a difficult time in the industry, we all know that, but there was always a light at the end of that tunnel, that restrictions would end and that we could get back open and running again.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we\u2019re facing now is another tunnel \u2014 and as things stand, there is no light at the end.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the end, we\u2019re talking about more than an individual business being under threat. We\u2019re talking about the whole industry, and that means people\u2019s lives, their families, their homes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Last week the Department of Finance announced Reval2026, as Land & Property Services (LPS) released a draft list of revaluations for commercial properties.<\/p>\n
Some hotels and pubs will see their rates bills doubling or even tripling.<\/p>\n
In the aftermath Mr Neill said an emergency board meeting of Hospitality Ulster was the \u201cmost difficult\u201d during his time heading the organisation.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cThere was disbelief at what has been proposed… the hospitality industry is both hurt and angry on the back of Reval2026.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to LPS, the new business rates reflect improved rental conditions since the pandemic.<\/p>\n
But Mr Neill added: \u201cThe sector has no problem paying its way in a fair and reasonable manner, but this is not what is being asked of it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile LPS might say that it defines its formula on \u2018fair and maintainable trade\u2019, there is nothing fair or maintainable about rates bill increases of over 100%, 200% and 300%.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf the rent on property went up by that amount there would be no one in the hospitality business at all.<\/p>\n
\u201cSectors essential to the Northern Ireland economy, such as manufacturing, have benefited in the past from rates relief due to their importance. Hospitality is the fourth largest private sector employer in Northern Ireland.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt a time when the Department for the Economy is leaning on the doubling of tourism revenue over 10 years to achieve its economic growth targets, hospitality accounts for four in every five tourism jobs.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe 2026 Reval will be the ruination of the hospitality industry, which will be the ruination of the Northern Ireland economy.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s my responsibility to reflect the views of our members, and the views have hardened considerably.<\/p>\n
\u201cIndividual businesses have been told they can submit accounts for assessments, but we\u2019ve been doing this dance for years and we are all too aware the system is not fair on the industry.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf action is not now taken by Finance Minister John O\u2019Dowd to address the crisis facing the hospitality industry, no action in response will be off the table.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe hospitality sector is fighting for its life and that anger will be felt in the streets, in our pubs, restaurants and hotels, and in the halls of Stormont. Whatever action we deem necessary will be taken.\u201d<\/p>\n
Describing the Hospitality Ulster meeting in the wake of the announcement as \u201cvery difficult and very tough\u201d, he added: \u201cWe are the only industry body that covers all sections of hospitality, from cafes to bars to hotels… right across the board there\u2019s disbelief mounting to anger at the way people\u2019s businesses are being targeted in what we see as an unfair and unjust manner.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are happy to have dialogue, and this is not going to be a \u2018one day headline\u2019, but if we don\u2019t sit down now and agree a fair and reasonable solution then the very future of the industry is not going to be viable.\u201d<\/p>\n
Angela McGrath, commissioner of valuation in Northern Ireland, said Reval2026 was about ensuring rates were \u201cdistributed fairly based on current rental evidence\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cBusinesses are currently paying rates based on rental levels that reflect the economic and market conditions during the pandemic in October 2021,\u201d she pointed out.<\/p>\n
\u201cReval2026 updates this position by using more up-to-date rental evidence from April 2024.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe majority of non-domestic properties are expected to see little or no change in their rates liability.\u201d<\/p>\n
She encouraged business ratepayers to check the new valuations online.<\/p>\n
\u201cLPS will review any new or relevant information ratepayers wish to bring forward now and make updates where appropriate before the new valuation list takes effect in April 2026,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
But Hospitality Ulster warned: \u201cAt a time when hospitality businesses are battling unprecedented cost pressures, the idea that our sector can absorb significant increases in rates liabilities is utterly detached from reality.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will explore every possible avenue \u2014 political, legal and practical \u2014 to challenge the revaluation.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Hospitality Ulster chief executive Colin Neill warned anger and frustration over the rise in rates have reached levels…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":728544,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3090],"tags":[51,487,1700,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-728543","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-economy","8":"tag-business","9":"tag-cost-of-living","10":"tag-economy","11":"tag-uk","12":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115978386981913851","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/728543","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=728543"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/728543\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/728544"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=728543"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=728543"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=728543"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}