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Easter bin collections

All bin collections following a bank holiday will now take place one day late from 29 March to 6 April. See our Easter Bin Collection page for further details.

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Relief and Exemptions

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7. Local discounts under The Localism Act

Although most Business Rates rules are laid down by central government, the Localism Act 2011 now gives local councils more flexibility. Local councils can now help organisations in their area by granting local business rate discounts. Central government pays 50 per cent of the costs of these local discounts, the council pays 49 per cent and the precepting authorities (Devon County Council, Devon & Cornwall Police and Devon & Somerset Fire & Rescue) pay 1 per cent.

The Council takes the following things into account when deciding whether to give a local discount.

  • Will a discount result in a substantial positive impact on residents and taxpayers in Exeter?
  • Does the organisation provide substantial and essential long term benefits to the community and to the council tax payer, for example by increasing employment or improving local amenities for the community?
  • Could a discount have an anti-competitive effect on other businesses in the city? This could happen if there are other businesses in the area which provide the same or similar services or facilities.

How to apply

There is no application form for a local business rate discount. Please contact us online to say why your business should get one and give us all the details you think are relevant, including your contact details.