New research by Narberth Chamber of Trade has revealed that the number of businesses in Narberth FAILING to qualify for rates relief will more than double after April 2010 - despite higher thresholds being set by the Welsh Assembly Government.

Narberth's businesses will still be hit hard by rates hikes, despite a raising of the exemption threshold by the Welsh Assembly Government, warns local AM Angela Burns.

Many businesses in the town have seen such large increases in their rateable values that they fail to qualify for the increased levels of relief, she says.

Plaid AM Nerys Evans has described Monday's [21 December], announcement, that additional help will be made available for small businesses facing an increase in their rates bill "a step in the right direction", following the UK wide non-domestic property revaluation exercise.

Pembrokeshire's Conservative politicians are calling on the new business rates minister to give local traders a Christmas bonus by putting them out of their rates misery.

A petition signed by eighty Narberth businesses protesting against rates increases of up to 300% was handed in at the Welsh Assembly by South Pembrokeshire AM Angela Burns.

The petition was collected by the Narberth's Chamber of Trade in just one week and Mrs Burns is pictured handing it in to Andrew RT Davies, Conservative member of the Assembly's Petitions Committee. [click the pic to enlarge]

Fundamental changes are needed in the way business rates are calculated to make them fairer, says Angela Burns AM.

Speaking in a Welsh Conservative debate in the Senedd on business rates, Mrs Burns said that rates valuations need to be linked to turnover and not just rentable value.

Two petitions have been launched in Narberth to fight a proposed 200+% business rates increase in the town.

Local Assembly Member Angela Burns has teamed up with Narberth Chamber of Trade to get the petitions off the ground.

Businesses in Pembrokeshire are still in limbo about their rates hike because the Welsh Assembly Government has no relief plans in place.

The UK Government is planning to raise the business rates relief threshold in England on September 30 and in Northern Ireland the rates revaluation has been postponed.

Civil servants have promised to review the proposed 200-plus percent rates hike in Narberth after a public meeting called by local AM Angela Burns.

The South Pembrokeshire AM invited the Valuation Agency Office (VAO), who set the rates, to meet Narberth's traders last week.