The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) is urging businesses to protect themselves from rogue business rates agents. New rateable values for business properties came into effect in April 2023. Councils used these new values to calculate business rates bills.
Businesses can challenge their valuation if they think it’s incorrect. They can use a rating agent to do this. Some rogue agents submit inaccurate information, which can result in penalties or increased rates bills. Be cautious of anyone who guarantees they can secure big business rates reductions.
See: Be wary of rogue business rates agents - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Under Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax, sole traders and landlords with income of more than £50,000 have been required to keep digital records and send quarterly updates to HMRC since 6 April 2026.
The UK jobs market showed fresh signs of strain in the latest labour market figures, published by the Office for National Statistics on 18 August 2026.