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Explains the important features of the new rating system, and how they interface with the major elements retained from the old. Discusses new terminology, hereditament, relevant property, non‐domestic property, and composite hereditament, as well as rateable value, methods of valuation, and alterations to the rating list.

To provide a critical appraisal of the UK Government's proposals for the introduction of business improvement districts (BIDs) into England considering statute and case law against the proposed regulations, while drawing on the experience of BID models in North America.

The paper analyses the proposed regulations against the existing statute and common law position in England.

The regulations will not levy all hereditaments as stated. The voting and taxation provisions are not defined and transparent in connection with those paying less than full rates. Implications of the House of Lords decision in Edison appear to have been overlooked in the drafting.

The paper is specific to the Draft Business Improvement Districts (England) Regulations 2004. The paper identifies key issues for those involved in the local economy and property management in England. It is relevant across jurisdictions to those considering proposals for the implementation of BID schemes.

The paper is relevant to those occupiers and owners, and their advisers, who have an interest in property that is, or may be, included in a BID area.

The paper considers in an original manner the detailed proposals for the implementation of BIDs in England. It researches a number of areas of concern to those seeking to implement or pay a BID levy. It identifies a number of areas in which the regulations will not achieve the stated aims. Weaknesses in the voting and taxation provisions are identified.

Introduction The advent of the shopping centre created the need to develop more sophisticated techniques in order to apportion the service charge invariably reserved under the lease. Unlike the occupants of residential flats or office suites, individual retailers do not necessarily derive equal benefit from the services provided. For example, a jeweller's shop will derive more benefit from the security measures, than a green‐grocer's, whilst insurance apportionments are clouded by the inter‐effect of the use of one unit of accommodation upon another.1 Another complicating factor is that whilst it is the retailers that cover the cost of the services, many of the services are provided for the benefit of their customers.

Geographic diversity is a fundamental tenet in portfolio management. Yet there is evidence from the USA that institutional investors prefer to concentrate their real estate investments in favoured and specific areas as primary locations for the properties in their portfolios. Work done in the UK, focusing on the office sector, has drawn similar conclusions. The present paper seeks to examine the extent of real estate investment concentration in institutional Retail portfolios in the UK at two points in time; 1998 and 2003, and to present some comparisons with equivalent concentrations in the Office sector.

To examine this issue two datasets are used at two dates, 1998 and 2003. The analysis is confined to England and Wales because of data considerations relating to the availability of comparable data for the rest of the UK. The first dataset relates to floor space and rateable value statistics for the so‐called “bulk classes” of commercial property at Unitary Authority and District (local authority area, LA) level. The more specific institutional real estate investment data for the study come from the IPD analysis “UK Local Markets”. This provides a detailed view of the performance of institutional real estate investment, by sector, in a number of localities across the UK. For the purposes of this study, IPD made data available showing (but with much less detail) other LAs where the number of properties held was greater than zero, but fewer than the four required normally for disclosure. The approach taken is to map the basic data and the results from a standardising measure of spatial concentration – the Location Quotient.

The findings indicate that retail investment correlates more closely with the UK urban hierarchy than that for offices when measured against employment, and is focused on urban areas with high populations and large population densities which have larger numbers of retail units in which to invest.

Using data sets that account for the entire “population” of observations at these two dates the paper demonstrates the relationships between economic theory and the market performance of the sector. The comparisons with the Office sector also show the differences that would be expected between the sectors, emphasising the point that these markets are dynamic and that their structure, form and content can change dramatically even over quite short periods.

Notes that, in the UK, there has been little empirical research undertaken to consider the effect of the commercial property tax (more commonly known as non‐domestic rates) on the level of openly negotiated market rents. Seeks, through the analysis of a large set of panel data obtained from the Investment Property Databank and the Valuation Office Agency, to develop econometric models which can measure the effect that an increase in non‐domestic rates has on commercial rents and ultimately the effective incidence of non‐domestic rates. Draws a number of conclusions, the most significant being that changes in rates bills prompt changes in commercial property rents in the opposite direction. Notes that this conclusion may, in the longer term, have an effect on the type and indeed the timing of government assistance to business occupiers through transitional relief schemes.

The paper examined how local authorities have attempted to rate undeveloped land as a means of mobilising revenues and the challenges associated with implementing this policy guideline. It focused on current practices in terms of policy and administration, the availability of undeveloped urban land, its revenue potential, and ways to improve policy for local land taxation.

Drawing from the mixed-method approach both qualitative and quantitative data were collected. Officials of the Wa Municipal Assembly, Lands Commission, Land Use and Spatial Planning Authority were purposely selected based on their knowledge and the roles they play in property rating practice. They were interviewed to understand their perceptions and views on rating undeveloped lands. Stratified proportionate and simple random sampling methods were used to select respondents. The respondents included land and landed property owners in three selected neighbourhoods.

The paper found that there was the prevalence of undeveloped lands mainly held by speculators and individuals constrained by financial challenges to develop their parcels. The Wa Municipal Assembly is unable to implement the policy guideline on charging rent on undeveloped lands due to lack of adequate information and generally unwillingness to implement this provision. Besides, the current guideline is too prohibitive and cannot be implemented in its current form. However, there is a window of opportunity for the Assembly to build data on undeveloped lands and moderately begin the implementation of the policy guideline.

Urban growth in Ghana is characterised by leapfrog development with many patches of undeveloped land in and around cities. The property taxation policies largely do not focus on undeveloped land or unimproved site value. In Ghana, property rate policy on the tax base excludes undeveloped land. However, government policy guidelines prescribe the charging of rent on these lands by local authorities. This paper provides a comprehensive discussion on the revenue potential of undeveloped urban land and why local government authorities have not been able to harness this potential. The paper has therefore recommended ways local authorities can use to mobilise revenue from undeveloped urban land.

There is limited research in rating undeveloped urban land especially looking at it from the perspective of policy and implementation as well as current practices. The paper shed light on the prevalence of undeveloped urban land and the guidelines that exist help local governments mobilise revenue from these lands. It contributes to the understanding that local government can harness the revenue potential of undeveloped land if policy design and implemented regarding these lands is enhanced. The paper also provides a good background and framework for further studies.

The purpose of this paper is to discuss property taxation and examine the extent of its contribution to financing urban infrastructure/services in Ghana. Dwelling on existing literature, it analyses the contribution of property tax to local level internally generated funds (IGF) and expenditure on urban infrastructure/services financed from IGF.

Using a case study approach with a combination of both quantitative and qualitative research, this research was carried out in the Sekondi-Takoradi metropolis in the Western region, Ghana based on its economic and social diversity, business and economic opportunities and different land tenure systems. Data were collected through expert interviews and questionnaires, with a baseline study from 2006 to 2013. To check the veracity of data, triangulation of data were adopted.

The study revealed that property rate accounted for 28 per cent of IGF of the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA). This revenue was expended mostly on waste management, education, social services, street lights and health facilities. For the period between 2006 and 2013, property rates revenue alone was able to finance not less than 84 per cent of total expenditure from IGF. It was estimated that if the challenges to property taxation were resolved in Ghana, the tax could finance the entire annual IGF budget of the STMA on urban infrastructure and services over and above the expended expenditure with a surplus margin of 13 per cent.

This paper makes available empirical evidence of property tax contribution to IGF of STMA that could stimulate and enhance revenue mobilisation of other local government authorities. Debate on property tax revenue contribution towards financing urban infrastructure/services is also stimulated.

There exist many researches on property tax, however, none of these studies have examined the exact contributions of property rating revenue in financing urban infrastructure and services. This paper is the product of the original research conducted in Sekondi-Takoradi metropolis.

The purpose of this paper is to present a critical evaluation of city centre regeneration via the creation of a major new shopping destination. The City of Southampton is chosen since that very process has been well documented. The research shows that this process of creating successful cities can be negative for some existing traders.

There are two main methodologies employed. One is a quantitative analysis of changes in rateable values. This is used as a surrogate for trading impact from the new development. The other is qualitative interviews with urban officials in the city being studied.

Quantitative results show that the market power of the retailer is a better explanation for rates relief than is the physical distance from the impactful new centre. Analysis of the qualitative interviews shows that the urban officials expected that there would be negative impacts for some existing traders by setting up that process of rates relief. However, the wider picture shows that the opportunities for small‐scale innovative retailers may be reducing. Further, that the style of retailing introduced does not necessarily assist the resident population with their everyday shopping.

Though the sample of respondents for the qualitative interviews is small, it does access the key local officials. A wider issue is the poor level of quantitative data available on small shops. This limitation is also found by the 2006‐2008 Competition Commission Inquiry into the grocery sector.

Highly publicised success stories such as West Quay Southampton need deeper scrutiny to ensure they fit a wider ambition to deliver the environment that local residents deserve. Better data availability would assist in such analysis.

The paper constitutes an attempt to show how deeper scrutiny of the type the paper commends may be approached. Greater resources will be needed in order to gain fuller insights. The findings are of value to all who seek to understand the functioning of policymaking in the urban arena.

Discusses the development of expert systems (ES) as an improvement on computer‐aided valuation techniques (CAV), due to its allowing the modelling of complex non‐linear and qualitative relationships and processes, such as those which exist within the field of valuation. Explores valuation as a set of processes and details current technology with reference to the impact of CAVs in Australia. Discusses expert systems as the latest stage in the evolution of computer methods which support humans in decision making, outlines ES procedure and gives examples of current applications. Considers the application of expert systems to rating valuation and reviews the theory of ′information chunking.

Following many years of debate the government is now in the process of implementing major alterations to the rating system which will affect both domestic and business occupiers. A great deal of press comment has concentrated on the proposed ‘poll tax’ or, more correctly, Community Charge, which will replace domestic rates. This is not surprising given the political implications of the proposals, but it has overshadowed the very substantial changes to the present system of taxing the occupation of business premises. Assuming there is no significant change to the reforms currently proposed, existing patterns of rate burden will change dramatically. For many companies, particularly smaller ones, rates are the second largest overhead after rents and therefore the significance of the present reforms cannot be underestimated Taxes are rarely popular but those which appear capricious, as has been the case with rates in many parts of the country in recent years, deserve particular criticism. As a result there has been strong pressure from the business community for major reforms. The resulting proposals, however, will not suit everyone. The plan is redistribution of businesses' rate burden, not an overall reduction. The 1986 government Green Paper, ‘Paying for Local Government’, said, foreshadowing the changes, ‘there will be shifts in individual rates burdens both between different types of property and between different areas’. As many occupiers will discover, this could have been stated much more strongly.